Macron boxing photos: France’s president takes on Putin

Photos of French President Emmanuel Macron pounding a punching bag arched eyebrows across Europe on Thursday in what was widely received as the latest round in his drive to toughen up the region’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The teeth clench. The brow furrows. The bicep bulges.

In moody black and white, photos of French President Emmanuel Macron pounding a punching bag arched eyebrows across Europe on Thursday after his official photographer posted them to social media in what was widely received as the latest round in his drive to toughen up the region’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

But reviews were mixed along political lines. Some in France said Macron, who is 46, looked like a “warrior” and likened him to movie heroes like Rocky Balboa and Robert DeNiro’s character in “Raging Bull.”

Across the English Channel, reviews of “macho Macron” were less flattering. “Macron: Le grand narcissist,” groused the Daily Mail. And Daniel Johnson in the Telegraph called him “a prancing poseur”: “Past presidents like Resistance hero General de Gaulle felt no need to show off.”

Macron’s office said it would not comment on the photos. But the images were interpreted by many on social media as reflecting his pressure on other Western countries to more strongly defend Ukraine as the war enters its third year. Last month, he said the possibility of Western troops being sent to Ukraine could not be ruled out, a comment that prompted an outcry from other leaders.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/macron-france-boxing-putin-russia-ukraine-war-europe-rcna144596

---