Ruth Ben-Ghiat is a frequent contributor to CNN Opinion, and professor of history and Italian studies at New York University. Follow her on Twitter: @ruthbenghiat. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author; view more opinion articles on CNN.

Anyone who needs confirmation of the secret of a strongman -- that he's a weak man, in constant need of ego affirmation -- need only look at images of the Helsinki "summit" between American President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which revealed the insecurities of both men underneath the façade of power, and Trump's submissiveness to Putin in particular.

Ruth Ben-Ghiat

Here is a selection of those images captured by photo journalists. Of course, they don't convey every moment of the meeting, but they are consistent with what we saw on air during their appearances together. There are many other such similar images -- each seemingly more awkward than the last -- in which the subjects tell more of a story than they may have wanted through physical cues.

The meeting in Helsinki between two men expert in the art of spectacle intended to intimidate the world, proclaiming that Trump's reorientation of America away from liberal democracy is in line with the intentions of his counterpart Putin.

The images tell another story: one that gives credence to the belief that Trump's allegiance to Putin goes way beyond ideology. We still don't know the actual reason the summit was held, nor do we know -- yet - the nature of the hold Putin has over Trump. Yet photographs suggest that this was no meeting of equals but an encounter between a supplicant (Trump) and a master (Putin), starting with Putin arriving late to their public encounter, setting it about 45 minutes back.

At the same time, Putin, who is used to absolute control, had some discomfort at having their relationship scrutinized by the world's press. He indicated this with small gestures that told a story when captured by photographers.

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