WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden’s longtime affection for gold-rimmed aviator Ray-Bans was on display this week when he gave Russian President Vladimir Putin a custom pair of aviators, according to a White House official.
That’s not the only gift Biden offered his Russian counterpart. Putin also received a crystal sculpture of an American bison.
The sculpture was made by Steuben Glass of New York, and Randolph USA made the aviators.
The bison is the national mammal of the U.S.
“In Russia, over the past 20 years, European bison were reintroduced by rewilding numerous sites after their extinction in 1927,” according to the official.
Biden has been a frequent fan of aviators, often spotted wearing Ray-Bans at White House functions.
Related: ‘Reassuringly retro’: It may not be formal, but Joe Biden isn’t giving up his favorite sunglasses at official functions
Gifts are a longtime tradition
Gift-giving between heads of state is a centuries-old tradition, according to the National Archives. The gifts are seen as a gesture of friendship, cooperation and diplomacy.
During the G-7 summit Biden gifted British Prime Minister Boris Johnson with a custom-made bicycle. Bilenky Cycle Works told the Washington Post that the State Department paid $1,800 for the bicycle, which normally costs $6,000. Johnson gifted Biden with a photograph of a mural of Fredrick Douglass. The photo was taken by Melissa Highton.
Biden met with Putin at a one-day summit in Geneva Wednesday. Biden described the talk as “good, positive” as he looked ease tensions between Moscow and Washington. The two leaders talked for more than three hours on a range of issues from cybersecurity to Russian aggression in Ukraine.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden gives Putin pair of aviators sunglasses, bison sculpture
