The photo of the NATO summit has gone viral on social media.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was mocked on Twitter on Thursday after a video surfaced showing him standing alone at a meeting of the leader of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO. The clip shows Johnson standing uncomfortably alone as European Union (EU) leaders shake hands. However, a longer video later posted on social media showed the British Prime Minister having a light conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron and shaking his hand.
A Twitter meltdown started after the short clip showed Macron and other EU leaders gleefully greeting each other for a NATO family photo and Johnson looking on with his hands in his pockets.
Our British Lion ????
Boris Johnson loved by #Ukraine️ & universally recognized as leader of the free world stands proud of other leaders at NATO summit.
He doesn’t participate in trivial talk
He is on a mission to defeat Russia.
Hero????????????pic.twitter.com/wDR7lPrjRZ— Sir Michael Take CBE (@MichaelTakeMP) March 24, 2022
Macron can be seen a short distance from Johnson, shaking hands with leaders as the British Prime Minister waits for a greeting from him in the 26-second clip.
“Mr Lonely,” said one Twitter user. “I loved his wave at the end when the catering truck arrived with the sausage rolls,” added another.
Some users also called the UK an “embarrassment” and that image of a “global Britain” in the eyes of world leaders.
The short video became the talking point on Twitter due to past reports of both Mr Johnson’s and Mr Macron’s comments to each other. In September last year, Johnson told Macron he needed to “get a handle on” the cancellation of a defense deal over a pact between the UK, US and Australia. In December, according to a report in The Guardian, Macron privately called Mr Johnson a “clown”.
But a few hours later, the full video of the NATO meeting was posted by Forbes and other publications, showing the British Prime Minister speaking with other EU leaders and greeting US President Joe Biden. He even shook hands with the French Prime Minister.
“Show the whole video and then we’ll see who has an awkward moment,” said one Twitter user, who posted the full clip.
Show the whole video and we’ll see who’s having an awkward moment.https://t.co/HpTYxATWTG
— pabel (@Pabel5Pabel) March 24, 2022
The “unpublished version” of the clip was also widely posted by social media users, who said the truth has been revealed. The UK’s relations with a number of EU members have been severed since the 2016 Brexit referendum.
The emergency meeting on NATO was convened by Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. After the meeting in Brussels, the leaders agreed to strengthen their eastern flank in light of Russia’s war in Ukraine and warned Moscow against the use of chemical weapons.
They also agreed to set up four more battle groups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, and warned China not to support the Russian war.
