Some say that it’s a publicity stunt, but Dominykas Ceckaukas the owner of the restaurant—whose wall adorns the mural depicting the Russian president Vladimir Putin kissing presumptive US presidential nominee—told BBC World Service that he doesn’t “see anything bad” in it being a publicity stunt and feels that it is good that they’re “promoting” their business “but at the same time being sincere to the stuff” they believe in.
The mural along with the phrase “make everything great again” adorns the rear of a “libertarian” American barbeque joint in Lithuania called Keule Ruke. Images of the two leaders engaged in embrace have gone viral.
With growing tensions between Russia and America, the mural satirically sums up what the future may hold should Trump become the president of the United States. Much was made of Putin and Trump’s approving opinions about each other. Putin had called Trump “a bright and talented person without any doubt . . . an outstanding and talented personality”. Meanwhile, Trump had remarked that he would “get along very well” with Putin. As Dominykas quite brilliantly put it across to BBC, should Trump win the elections, “we might have this sort of strange ultra-conservative relationship” between the US and Russia—never heard of before.
Dominykas added that the restaurant had been making similar statements for a while and that the mural was only just “another thing” that they wanted to “draw everybody’s attention to” especially in the light of the “geopolitical tensions in the world”.
Artist Mindaugas Bonanu’s piece will remain at the restaurant until 20 May.
