In a widely shared image, the French president appears to be hugging his frosty Ukrainian counterpart – who is not reciprocating

Photographer Ludovic Marin says Macron was actually whispering in Zelensky’s ear when he snapped the shot

An awkward-looking exchange between French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky that was captured on camera in Kyiv drew commentary and mockery online on Friday, with some seeing deep meaning behind the body language.

The image, taken by Agence France-Presse photographer Ludovic Marin, appeared on newspaper front pages and quickly became a meme on social media in Ukraine and beyond.

It was taken at the end of a joint news conference on Thursday where Zelensky appeared alongside Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Premier Mario Draghi and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.

Although it appears as if Macron is hugging a frosty Zelensky, who is not reciprocating, Marin said the notoriously tactile French leader was instead saying something into his Ukrainian counterpart’s ear.

“Why is Zelensky looking at us? I don’t know,” said Marin, who has been AFP’s chief photographer covering Macron for five years. “It’s true that there’s a difference in the way they look which is very striking.”