Russian President Vladimir Putin walked up to Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at a summit of Group of 20 world leaders, high-fived him and then shook his hand heartily. Moments earlier the prince had been pictured on the far edge of the traditional "family portrait" photograph, ignored by other leaders.
The two moments captured the dilemma facing world leaders at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires this weekend: How to deal with the crown prince, who is dogged by controversy over the murder of a Saudi journalist but is also de facto leader of a rich, oil-producing kingdom that is a major global investor.
To be sure Putin's exuberant greeting of the prince was seen as over the top and promptly went viral. But, while leaders appeared to ignore Prince Mohammed on stage during the "family photo," many went on to have closed-door bilateral meetings with him during the two-day summit.
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