G7 Leaders Propose Giving 'Bare-Chested Horseback Riding Display' to Show Putin How 'Tough' They Are

The leaders of the Group of Seven Western industrial economies met in Bavaria’s picturesque Elmau Castle on Sunday to discuss ways to preserve Western “unity” amid the crisis in Ukraine and in the face of anti-Russian sanctions which have boomeranged and significantly damaged the economies of the countries which implemented them.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen did a bit of joking at Vladimir Putin’s expense during Sunday’s G7 meeting, facetiously suggesting that they should emulate the Russian president’s habit of showing off his body.

“Jackets on? Jackets off? Do we take our coats off?” Johnson asked as leaders gathered and members of the press scrambled to take photos. “We have got to show that we’re tougher than Putin,” the prime minister quipped.

“We’re going to get the bare-chested horseback riding display,” Trudeau interjected as beaming smiles lit up around the round table. “Oh yes! Horseback riding is the best,” von der Leyen said, apparently not thinking about the implications such a photo opportunity would mean for herself.

“We’re going to show them our pecs,” Johnson said, repeating variations of the remark several times to make sure that media got it.

The apparent off the cuff (or not) remarks come amid a noticeable shift in tone among Western leaders in recent weeks regarding the Ukraine crisis, with demands that Kiev defeat Moscow on the battlefield replaced by a more conciliatory tenor, including recommendations that President Zelensky be ready to negotiate with Russia as fortunes shift on the battlefield and Ukrainian forces take heavy losses in men and Western-provided equipment.

The video went viral, and was met with mixed reaction, with some finding the remarks gut-wrenchingly hilarious, while others questioned the logistics of the affair as they imagined G7 leaders shirtless and on horseback. “But it’s not pecs in this case, just tits,” one user suggested, apparently referring to Mr. Johnson’s body. “I bet they wouldn’t say it to his face,” another quipped. “Putin rides a horse, Biden couldn’t ride a bicycle,” a third joked. “Boris would break a horse’s back if he sat on one,” another argued. “Don’t get me wrong, I agree with both JT and Boris, but my dude, be careful, you’re gonna get us nuked,” yet another person pondered.

The Russian president’s propensity to show off his physique and hang out with animals on vacation has long become the stuff of internet legend, with his famous shirtless horseback ride in Siberia in 2009 turning into a source of endless memes, appearing on t-shirts and coffee mugs, with some variations showing him riding a grizzly bear.

Ahead of Sunday’s G7 meeting, Prime Minister Johnson urged allies not to waver in their support for Ukraine, promising that Ukraine “can win and it will win” but would “need our backing to do so.” The US and its allies have funneled tens of billions of dollars’ worth of weaponry to Ukraine in recent months, despite Russia’s warnings that doing so would prolong the conflict and spark an inevitable rise in global arms trafficking.