Diplomacy is subtle. News TV? Not always.

If you happened to watch television news, you’d be convinced that Russian President Vladimir Putin never went to the Alaska summit to meet US counterpart Donald Trump. It was the Russian president’s body double shaking hands with Trump and posing for pictures. 

In the first face-to-face interaction between the two presidents in almost three years since the Russia-Ukraine war, held in Alaska’s US military base on August 15, the main topic of discussion was Trump wanting to end the Russia-Ukraine war. But if you were following Indian news channels, Putin’s poo suitcase could be a big talking point.  

Or you’d be pressed to believe that Trump intimidated Putin with firm handshakes. Or “avenged India”.

Or maybe you’d think questions of ceasefire and civilian killings were “rubbish”.    

While the summit concluded without any agreement, with Trump suggesting the responsibility now lies with Ukraine to relinquish territory to end the war, some news telecasts drew their own fanciful conclusions. 

Here’s how they did it.    

Republic Bharat

On Ye Bharat Ki Baat Hai, Mridul Sharma dug up a 2010 conspiracy theory to justify the failure of Trump-Putin talks: The Russian president in Alaska was, in fact, a body double.

He lists out three signs. Putin’s moving his right hand while walking, which apparently doesn’t happen. An otherwise serious Putin being expressive. And a missing dimple. Sharma’s sources? Media mein charcha (media speculations).

“Putin had sent a body double to meet Trump. The speculations arose because news of a body double had also cropped up in the past. Sources say that Putin has several body doubles whom he often deploys. His cheekbones were higher, his hairstyle was different, and he was looking happier than usual. This body double who met Trump had round cheeks. He moved his right hand while walking, unlike the real Putin,” Sharma said. 

Times Now Navbharat

The Putin body double conspiracy was how Sushant Sinha started his show News Ki Pathshala. Sinha listed the usual: right-hand moving while walking, an uncharacteristically happy Putin, and high cheekbones. 

“People on social media are claiming that Putin didn’t even send one of his good body doubles. Sasta bhej diya (he sent a cheap one)... Imagine how insulting it was for Trump,” Sinha said.   

Thankfully, Sinha provides a disclaimer a little into the report that these claims aren’t verified. However, the report’s title gave away how important the body double conspiracy theory was to the report: “Putin ने Trump से मिलने अलास्‍का में भेजा बॉडी डबल?” (Did Putin send a body double to meet Trump in Alaska?).

Zee News

To force Putin into stopping the war with Ukraine, Trump grabbed the Russian president’s hand right after he arrived in Alaska. Yes, that’s what a Zee News report had to say about Trump’s ‘tactics’ with Putin. 

This is in sharp contrast to what Russian state TV had to say about the Trump-Putin summit and the handshake, according to a CNN report.

But there was more on Zee. 

The report then presented before-and-after photographs from the two presidents’ meeting.    

“Before the meeting, Trump was smiling. But after the meeting, Putin is happy. Look at Trump’s body language and seriousness. Looks like Putin showed his spy attitude… Trump made B-2 bombers fly above Putin. This shows Trump’s insecurity. Trump called Putin in the capacity of a guest, but showed his arrogance by flying these weapons. Even as Russia is flying such weapons almost daily in Ukraine,” said the voiceover.

The report then targeted the American media by terming its questions on a ceasefire and civilian killings in Ukraine as “rubbish”.

In a clip from Putin’s arrival in Alaska, the media is heard asking Putin, “President Putin, will you agree to a ceasefire?” and “Will you stop killing civilians?”.  To which, Putin signals that he can’t hear them.    

“Imagine, Putin was welcomed with such rubbish questions,” the voiceover said.

News24

Much has been said before about Putin’s security detail reportedly carrying a special suitcase that collects the president’s fecal matter whenever he travels abroad. The suitcase is safely brought back to Russia, discouraging foreign authorities from analysing it to study the president, certain reports have suggested. 

Though there is no clarity on what this suitcase looks like, News24 even spotted the suitcase. 

In its report titled, ‘Suitcase में क्यों Toilet-Potty करते हैं Russia President Putin, क्या है 'Poo Suitcase'?’, there is an old clip of Putin and his security guard carrying a suitcase. The news channel encircled that suitcase, while the anchor said, “Yeh hai ek poo suitcase [this is a poop suitcase].”

It seems the channel had some inside information on Putin’s heavily guarded security detail.

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