by Felix Richter, Statista.com
— this post authored by Niall McCarthy
Vladimir Putin has earned a reputation for keeping other world leaders waiting.
Since 2003, the Russian leader has arrived late for numerous high profile meetings with heads of state, dignitaries and prominent officials. The Pope isn’t even immune from Putin’s poor timekeeping skills and he was forced to wait just under an hour for a meeting in 2015.
According to RFE/RL, Angela Merkel was kept waiting an agonising 4 hours and 15 minutes for a meeting with Putin in 2014 while former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych once waited 4 hours before sitting down with the Russian leader. It’s likely Merkel will consider her meeting with Putin in Sochi in 2007 more irritating than the tardy one in 2014.
In an incident that subsequently became infamous in Germany, Putin introduced Merkel to his pet labrador, despite the German chancellor’s fear of dogs. He recently claimed he was unaware of Merkel’s fear of dogs, adding that he apologised to the her soon after the meeting.
This chart shows Vladimir Putin’s approximate level of lateness to meetings (hours/minutes).
You will find more statistics at Statista.
