'We've got to show our pecs' Johnson mocks Putin's topless photos during G7 meeting

Boris Johnson cracked jokes about Russian President Vladimir Putin's habit of posting for topless photographs with Canada's Justin Trudeau at the G7 summit on Sunday.

The prime minister and his Canadian counterpart discussed the Russian leader and his bizarre history of being photographed without a shirt.

With the sun shining in the Bavarian Alps, where the G7 leaders were meeting, Mr Johnson questioned whether they should keep their suit jackets on.

Warming to his theme, he then said, “shall we take our clothes off?", suggesting “we all have to show that we’re tougher than Putin."

Mr Trudeau joined in, referring to a “bare-chested horseback ride” – Mr Putin was pictured shirtless riding a horse in 2009.

Mr Johnson then said: “We’ve got to show our pecs.”

The Russian president has been captured in a series of topless photos over the years, and it even emerged he was the pin-up of choice for Japanese calendar shoppers looking for a 2019 calendar.

Mr Johnson and his counterparts, including US President Joe Biden, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Olaf Scholz are at the G7 summit to discuss global challenges including the war in Ukraine.

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