Boris Johnson was briefly ‘left hanging’ after going in for an awkward fist bump from Joe Biden this morning.
The moment was captured by photographers during the NATO summit in Madrid this morning.
Fresh from Vladimir Putin saying the PM taking his top off would be “a disgusting sight”, Mr Johnson reached his arm out for a casual greeting with the US President as he sat down in the summit chamber.
But after a moment of awkwardness, when it became clear President Biden wasn’t reciprocating the gesture, Johnson instead stood up and went in for a more formal handshake.
Mr Johnson suffered another embarrassing moment later in the morning, when his microphone failed at the start of his press conference.
After being forced to ask reporters in the room if they could hear him over the background noise, he described the Nato alliance as "united" and in "robust health" as the Madrid summit drew to a close.
The Prime Minister told a press conference: "The Nato alliance is plainly in robust health and getting stronger, with new members and a new purpose.
"We can see that our work is cut out..."
"If history is any guide, then I believe that this great alliance will again be successful."
He praised the Ukrainians for having taken back Snake Island, saying: “If you wanted evidence of the amazing ability of the Ukrainians to fight back, to overcome adversity, and to repel the Russians, then look at what has happened just today on Snake Island where Russia has to cede ground."
And he said said "myths" need to be debunked about the role of Nato in the Ukrainian conflict, as Western leaders offered robust backing to Ukraine in the war against Russia.
The Prime Minister said that the impact of the invasion has been felt around the world.
He said that just as his Government is focusing on helping people ease the cost-of living, so too was the Commonwealth, the G7 and Nato "determined to work together to ease the pressure around the world".
But he warned that the West needed to "explode some myths" about its role in the conflict.
"We have to explode the myths of Western sanctions are in some way responsible for western price spikes.
"It is the Russian invasion that has caused the shortages of food."
He said it was a "myth" that Nato had responsibility for provoking the conflict, pointing to the "peace-loving" nations of Finland and Sweden joining the organisation.
He said that the "final myth" is that when it comes to a crisis like this, western democracy "do not have the same staying power".
