Rarely does Secretary of State John Kerry appear so upset that his forehead furrows. And yet, in a staged photoshoot on Monday, there he was, grimly gripping the hand of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the artifice of the friendly gesture belied by the fact that both men looked as though they'd rather be at the dentist or participating in a webinar or something equally horrifying. (Editor's note: There is nothing more horrifying than a webinar.)
For which no one blames either of them. The topics, according to Kerry, were Ukraine (we would like Russia to stop participating in the civil war there), Syria (we would like Russia to stop participating in the civil war there), and Iran, an ally of Russia's with whom Kerry and President Obama are desperate to negotiate a diplomatic treaty. Grim topics! Grim facial expressions.
Kerry may also have been angry that (1) Lavrov had a better suit-tie combo or (2) that the stars on the American flag were so freaking big. But he's a professional, so we'll assume he was just mad about the war stuff.
Philip Bump writes about politics for The Fix. He is based in New York City.
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