US President Joe Biden gifted his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a pair of American-made sunglasses in his signature aviator style during their first meeting in Geneva.

Head of Randolph Engineering, the sunglass company, Peter Waszkiewicz said that he was surprised at seeing the sunglasses his company made were used as a diplomatic token. 

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“It was a normal business day until about after 12:00, when the phones started ringing and the social media went abuzz, then we realized what was going on”, Waszkiewicz told AFP, adding that it was “pretty tense and exciting”.

“It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it? I mean how often does an opportunity like this happens?”, said Waszkiewicz.

The glasses that Biden usually wears are of the type that are often worn by the US military. The sunglass company also has had a contract with the US armed forces since 1978.

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It takes over six weeks to manufacture the ‘Concrode’ style, the style of glasses that Biden gifted Putin. A matte black polarised pair costs $279, according to the Randolph website.

“President Biden, I’m sure, gave those glasses to President Putin as a symbol of our national heritage,” Waszkiewicz said. And let’s hope it’s the symbol of peace,” he said.