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There was an important diplomatic meeting taking place at the Maximos Mansion on Wednesday. Then Peanut showed up.

As US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens, the Greek leader’s dog managed to do something few political figures can: steal the spotlight from the men at the center of the meeting.

For the American journalists accompanying Rubio, Peanut quickly became the unofficial star of the visit, prompting a series of affectionate posts on social media.

“Gotta say this job has its perks, like getting to meet the esteemed diplomatic representative Peanut, a full time resident of the Greek prime minister’s office and a very good boy,” ABC and State Department reporter Shannon Kate Kingston wrote on X.

Foreign policy and war correspondent Caitlin Doornbos went a step further, declaring Peanut her favorite “official” of the day.

“My favorite official I met today: Greece’s ‘First Dog,’ Peanut!” she wrote.

The posts offered a decidedly lighter counterpoint to a visit otherwise dominated by diplomacy, as Rubio and Mitsotakis held talks on issues including Greek-American relations, defense and energy.

For a few moments, the focus shifted from the serious business being discussed inside the Maximos Mansion to a small, four-legged resident who appeared to have mastered one of the oldest rules of politics: know how to work a room.

From stray dog to ‘First Dog’

The attention Peanut received was hardly his first brush with international diplomacy.

Mitsotakis adopted the dog in 2021 after visiting the Animal Welfare Union of Ilioupoli, a shelter in the southern Athens suburb of Ilioupoli. Since then, Peanut has become a familiar presence at the Prime Minister’s office.

In fact, Peanut’s diplomatic résumé already includes appearances during high-level international visits. He has been photographed greeting foreign leaders at the Maximos Mansion and has become something of an unofficial mascot of the Maximos Mansion.

And on Wednesday, he added two more titles to that résumé: “esteemed diplomatic representative” and Greece’s “First Dog.”

J.P.