“It’s better not to argue with women,” Putin told an interpreter, playing on a stereotype of women as irrational, weepy creatures who presumably can’t be trusted to handle complex things like diplomacy. “But Ms. Clinton has never been too graceful in her statements. Still, we always met afterwards and had cordial conversations at various international events. I think even in this case we could reach an agreement.”

Next, he beat his bare chest. OK, he didn’t do that. But he did suggest it’s unfeminine for women to be powerful, just generally. “When people push boundaries too far, it’s not because they are strong but because they are weak,” he said. “But maybe weakness is not the worst quality for a woman.”