Vladimir Putin met with Chinese Defense Minister, Li Shangfu in Moscow this on Sunday 16 April 2023. Li is China’s Minister of National Defense. New to the office, it was Li’s first trip to another country in this role.
The above image of the meeting between Putin and Li was released by the Kremlin (Photo credit: Pavel Bednyakov). Putin’s body language screams in this moment.
*The corresponding descriptions appear below each of the following images.*
Note Putin’s position in his chair while meeting with Li. His buttocks are resting almost halfway forward (relative to backrest, compared with the front edge of the seat). Moreover he’s also leaning 20º-25º forward.
Putin is usually slouching backward (a backward angle to his spine), with his buttocks slightly away from the back of the chair (pictured here with President Biden in 2021). This configuration (along with Putin’s default facial expression) convey aloofness and arrogance.
… or (less often) Putin is usually sitting with his buttocks and back touching the back of his chair (spine relatively vertical, seen where with Donald Trump in July 2018).
…but not on this occasion. When meeting with Li, the body language cluster displayed by Putin (buttocks forward *and* leaning forward), is relatively unusual for him. It’s a strong indication that Putin needs/wants something.
Now look at Putin’s feet. Both of his feet are tilted inward (excessively pronated) to such a degree that the lateral aspect (outer portion) of each foot is elevated off the floor. This is extremely unusual for Putin, particularly on home soil.
Hyper-pronate your own feet in a manner similar to Putin’s right now. What does this do to the relative position of your knees? It moves the knees closer together — as are Putin’s (along with the adjacent portions of the upper and lower legs).
In both of the other examples shown above (Putin with Biden and Trump, respectively), Putin is sitting with his legs splayed wide (colloquially known as “Manspreading” — signaling dominance/hyper-dominance and/or masculinity). But not with Li.
Close your eyes. What effect does Putin’s specific leg-knee-foot configuration (as he is doing while meeting with the Chinese Defense Minister) have on your emotional state? Answer: It makes people feel lower confidence, unsure, and anxious. Knock-kneed and elevated outer edges of the feet = beta.
This leg-knee-foot cluster is profoundly telling. It’s highly indicative of a person feeling subordinate emotions. That this particular nonverbal signal cluster is being displayed by Putin toward Li Shangfu — especially while in the Kremlin, is simply staggering.
Now look at Li Shangfu. He’s also sitting with his buttocks forward his chair — but he’s *not* leaning forward. Li’s back is straight. His eyes, head, shoulders, arms, chest, abdomen, hips, and legs are all pointing toward Putin.
Li’s body language is not hyper-alpha, nor is it projecting low confidence. Li is not acquiescing. Li is engaged and respectful in this moment. Li doesn’t need Putin (Russia). Putin needs Li (China).
Putin’s head, shoulders, arms, chest, abdomen, hips (and even his chair) are not pointing toward Li — rather they’re pointing straight ahead. Putin’s feet, however, while not fully directed toward Li, are partially turned to the Chinese Defense Minister.
Note that Li’s feet are flexed. He’s up on his toes, with his knees bent (legs flexed) approximately 40º backward, past the perpendicular.
Li is alert and engaged with mild anxiety (normal for context). Li is not hyper-confident or arrogant but also he’s not in a mental/emotional mindset of weakness. Li (China) doesn’t need Putin (Russia).
Note the position of Putin’s and Li’s eyes. We have a poor angle/view of Putin’s eyes, but because his head is facing forward (relative to his body, not directed at Li), it necessitates Putin’s eyes to gaze somewhat laterally in order to look at Li Shangfu.
Since Li is ‘full body pointing’ at Putin, Li’s eyes don’t have to turn laterally in order to look at the Russian President.
Putin’s centrally-placed right (dominant) hand on top of his left hand is another attempt at looking calm, controlled, and in-charge — however, it’s actually an analog form of an elevated fig-leaf (indicating his mental-emotional vulnerability and relative weakness).
Putin is trying to ‘play it cool’ *above the table*. He’s trying to not look too needy — but we can see by the configuration of his lower body (particularly his feet and knees) that Putin is quite anxious about the ramifications of this meeting. Putin is off his game.
Li’s body language, in this moment, is quite typical of what we would expect from an engaged, alert, mildly anxious, *but not needy* government official in discussions with a head-of-state in a foreign capital (normal, given the context).
Note also Li’s statement regarding the meeting: “China is willing to work with Russia to make new contributions to the maintenance of world and regional security and stability”.
The components of Li’s multiple paralanguage tells are also quite noteworthy, nebulous, placating statement, and its non-committal language:
• “willing to work with” — is anything but an enthusiastic commitment or full-partnership.
• “to make new contributions to” — is classic ambiguous language. Li’s language is hedging.
• “the maintenance of” — Translation: “China is not going to improve Russia’s military situation or add anything directly to the equation — we’ll just maintain our relationship/maintain our current status”.
• “regional” — China does not consider Ukraine to be in its “region”.
• “security and stability” — Starting the largest war in Europe since WWII doesn’t equate to “stability”. Depleting one’s military whilst provoking growth of NATO does not enhance Russia’s “security”.
SUMMARY: Putin’s body language in this image indicates his low confidence, subordinate mental-emotional tone, his unsureness, and anxiety. He’s asking and feeling vulnerable and beta while meeting with Li Shangfu.
That Putin felt this soup of emotions while meeting with the Chinese Minister of Defense is highly telling of his vulnerability. Moreover, this meeting is on Russian soil — in the Kremlin. Red lights flashing, sirens blaring.
Putin does not think-believe (and feels vulnerable) that China will not enhance, in any meaningful way, Russia’s military or (from Putin’s POV) positively influence Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Li Shangfu was not sent to Moscow to give Russia weapons — only to maintain the current China-Russia status-quo.
Are you/your company/your organization interested in learning Body Language and using it to improve your personal and/or professional life — via one-on-one lessons, in-person lectures, or online group Zoom teaching? Email me (Jack@BodyLanguageSuccess.com).
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This post and other accompanying it, serve as a reference source for the art and science of Body Language/Nonverbal Communication. The views and opinions expressed on this website are those of the author. In an effort to be both practical and academic, many examples from/of varied cultures, politicians, professional athletes, legal cases, public figures, etc., are cited in order to teach and illustrate both the interpretation of others’ body language as well as the projection of one’s own nonverbal skills in many different contexts.
