Photographs of French President Emmanuel Macron hitting a boxing bag have received a mixed reaction in the European country.
Macron's official photographer Soazig de la Moissonnière posted the photos to his Instagram account this week.
The black and white images show Macron working out in a dark T-shirt and boxing gloves, gritting his teeth as his right fist connects with the bag.
French commentators have linked the images to an increasingly tougher stance against Russia by Macron, who recently reiterated the possibility of sending troops to Kyiv.
Others drew comparisons to photos released of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has released images of himself competing in sports – famously pictured riding a horse shirtless in 2009.
Centre-left French senator Yannick Jadot said the French president was doing a lot on rearmament at the moment.
"He puts out photos like Putin would and other political leaders who basically want to take a bit of a macho approach of politics," the Europe Ecologie Les Verts (EELV) member told TV channel France 2 in an interview.
Another EELV member called out the president for the macho image that was portrayed in the photos.
"These virilist codes used to the point of overdose. What misery of politics.
"What a defeat for progressivism. And what poverty of political communication," wrote MP Sandra Rousseau in a post on X.
Phillipe Moreau-Chevrolet, an expert in political communication, told Le Parisien newspaper that the president wants to show he is "in the fight".
"The message is intended for Vladimir Putin."
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