Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un have met in Russia for the first time since 2019 and stood awkwardly sharing a lengthy 40 second handshake. Putin welcomed Kim to the Vostochny Cosmodrome, a space station and satellite launch facility, in Amur, eastern Russia, on Wednesday. As the duo met face to face the Russian president said he was “very glad to see” Kim and the North Korean dictator thanked him for the warm welcome “despite being busy.” As the translators worked to communicate the respective welcome messages, Putin and Kim continued to stare at each other and shake hands. Analysing the handshake, behavioural psychologist Darren Stanton said: “Even though the clips are quite short of their interactions, we can still see a few interesting gestures between the two men. “First of all we have the first handshake as Putin exits the car. It is clear that Putin proceeds himself and wants to be perceived as a stronger force. His first move is to advance very closely to Kim and give him a ‘bone crusher’ handshake - a stronger shake than normal to assert authority, something many powerful figures implement - most notably attributed to President Trump during his time in office. “The handshake is a very powerful indicator of how someone is thinking - because it is an opening gesture that acts as a first impression. So from the outset we could see that Putin has come to talk business and not waste any time.” It’s not the first the Putin has found himself in a masculine battle for dominance when shaking hands. When meeting Donald Trump in Helsinki in July 2018, Putin visibly used his non shaking hand to brace himself by grabbing the chair to prepare for the former US president’s tendency to grab and pull people towards him. In Putin’s first meeting with French president Emmanuel Macron in May 2017 there wasn’t such a masculine tussle for dominance, but rather a tense, awkward handshake. And at the G20 summit in Japan in June 2019, Putin had another odd handshake with former British prime minister Theresa May as the duo refused to smile or look at each other. World’s away from the intimiacy of a handshake, the Russian leader also has a tendency to welcome world leaders on an extremely long meeting table, such as his tete-a-tete with Macron in Februrary 2022. Olga Khvostunova, director of the Institute of Modern Russia – a US-based think tank – said the reason for these long table meetings was to make world leaders “uncomfortable” and “to show who is boss in these situations.” Putin has often cultivated a macho image and in the past has frequently been pictured in sterotypically masculine poses, such as wearing combat fatigues while clutching a large fish he has allegedly caught. Perhaps his most well-known display of unchecked masculinity was photos of him topless, stripped to the waist, riding a horse in southern Siberia. The handshake is just another part of Putin’s hardman image he has carefully cultivated for many years. In 2015 after he went missing for a week after a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on March 5, amid rumours he was unwell. His spokesperson Dmitry Peskov refused to say where Putin was, but said not only was he in good spirits but he was “breaking hands” with his robust handshake, as reported by the Washington Post. Read More Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin’s Black sea submarine hit as Kyiv launches explosive boats at Crimea port How Kim's meeting with Putin at Russian spaceport may hint at his space and weapons ambitions Putin’s main Black Sea shipyard up in flames as Ukraine and Russia exchange air strikes Ukraine war live: Russia Black Sea sub hit as Kyiv launches explosive boats in Crimea Putin’s Black Sea shipyard up in flames after huge ‘Ukraine’ missile attack Inside Kim Jong-un’s train to meet Putin: Lobster, wine and bulletproof carriages

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West Ham enjoyed a heroes’ welcome as fans lined the streets of east London to celebrate their Europa Conference League glory. The Hammers won their first major trophy since the 1980 FA Cup, and a first European title since 1965, when they beat Italian side Fiorentina 2-1 in Prague on Wednesday night. And their jubilant supporters, decked out in the famous claret and blue on a warm and sunny evening in the capital, packed the pavements as the Hammers paraded the silverware on an open-top bus. The squad’s journey started at the site of their former home at Upton Park and finished at Stratford Town Hall, where they enjoyed a reception. Only West Ham fans of a certain age will ever have seen their side celebrate success like this, with a similar parade being held after that 1965 European Cup Winners’ Cup victory, where the likes of Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters got the taste of winning trophies. But the younger generation made the most of it, climbing on lamp posts and bus stops to get the best vantage point of their heroes while also letting off flares. David Moyes may have joined Ron Greenwood and John Lyall in earning immortality as managers to win a major trophy with the Hammers but he initially endured a lessened role on the bus, taking pictures of his players as they posed together. But he was soon joining in with the celebrations, dancing and jigging with the trophy on his head. Lifting the trophy appears to be a fitting way for captain Declan Rice to bow out, with chairman David Sullivan confirming the England international will be allowed to leave the club this summer, with a bidding war expected to commence soon. Rice was emotional on top of the bus, admitting it does not feel “real”. “This is absolutely incredible, when you’re a kid and you love football as much as I do, and the lads do, you see teams having trophy parades,” he said. “I was once a kid watching teams do trophy parades and now to be doing one and captaining the side is just so, so special, I can’t even put into words. “We knew it would be exciting and the fans would come out, I am just trying to take it all in, we don’t get to experience this ever. These moments don’t come around very often. “I’ve seen top captains over the years lift trophies and it was my time at West Ham to lift the trophy. It doesn’t really feel real. “At 24, captain of West Ham lifting a trophy in a European competition, I don’t think it is going to hit me for a while, but I am going to enjoy it and be as happy for as long as possible. “Bobby Moore, Billy Bonds, I am seeing messages that I am now in that category, I don’t really know what to say. Bizarre.” Moyes spent much of the season under pressure following a disappointing Premier League campaign, but Rice believes he is now the club’s best-ever manager. The England midfielder added on Sky Sports News: “I think he goes down as the best manager West Ham have ever had. The circumstances, when he first came in, kept us twice, European competition, we finished fifth, sixth, a semi-final (Europa League) and now we’ve won this, he deserves all the credit he gets. “He’s a top man and as you can see he is buzzing.” Jarrod Bowen was West Ham’s hero in the final as he scored a 90th-minute winner, capping off a remarkable turnaround in his career having been playing at non-league Hereford nine years ago after being rejected as a youngster by Aston Villa. “I love the game and these moments make it all worth it, the rejections and not going the way you want it,” he said. “You fast forward 10 years and you are on an open-top bus parade for winning a European trophy so from where I have come, my mum was crying on the phone, my dad was there. “It is a bit surreal to say I have won a European trophy from where I have come from. I love it.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Jonny Evans back in Northern Ireland squad for Euro 2024 qualifiers Karolina Muchova stuns Aryna Sabalenka to set up final showdown with Iga Swiatek Erling Haaland on a mission to realise Champions League dream with Man City