President Biden was throwing shades at Vladimir Putin behind closed doors on Wednesday.
The president gifted his Russian counterpart with a pair of custom aviator sunglasses during a highly-anticipated one-day summit in Geneva, according to a White House official.
Biden, known as a big fan of the fashion accessory, gave the Russian leader a pair as a symbolic gift.
The shades were made by Massachusetts-based Randolph USA, which has provided them to the US military and its NATO partners.
President Joe Biden putting on aviator sunglasses at a press conference following the meeting with Vladimir Putin on June 16, 2021. AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
President Biden and Putin greeting each other before their summit in Geneva, Switzerland on June 16, 2021. AP Photo/Patrick SemanskyBiden also gave Putin a crystal sculpture of an American Bison by Steuben Glass of New York, on an inscribed cherry wood base.
World leaders share gifts with each other during summits as a sign of collaboration – but there’s no word from the Kremlin what gifts Putin may have given Biden.
Biden’s love for aviators is well-documented and he took heat for leaving his shades on when he recently met with Queen Elizabeth of England, violating accepted royal protocol.
Biden has long loved wearing aviators. Reuters