Vladimir Putin was seen repeatedly flexing his knee while speaking to Donald Trump at the Alaska summit, with Ukrainians quick to suggest an explanation
Ukrainians have mocked Russian President Vladimir Putin’s strange “shaking” legs as he made an early exit from former US President Donald Trump at the Alaska summit after lunch was scrapped.
They claimed that the Russian leader had put on a “light exoskeleton” and thick platform shoes to address his “Napoleon complex” and minimize the height gap with the US president.
Video clips from the encounter showed Putin constantly bending his knee while talking with Trump before leaving the Elmendorf-Richardson air base in Anchorage, having refused to announce a ceasefire in the continuing war. It comes after the Russian president sparked alarm with one particular action during the joint press conference with Trump.
His heavy-soled shoes, supposedly meant to compensate for the 8-inch height difference between the 6ft 3in Trump and the 5ft 7in Putin, were plainly obvious.
It comes after Putin shocked the world as he greeted Trump on Alaska tarmac with bizarre first words, reports the Express US.
“Attention – Putin’s legs. What is wrong with them?” asked Times of Ukraine channel.
“Putin seems to have achieved his goal, but he is twitching suspiciously. His legs are ‘shaking.’ Maybe his shoes are tight,” said Nevzorov channel.
Besides flexing his knees, Putin was spotted repeatedly raising his left toe and heel back and forth.
Another Ukrainian media outlet commented on how Putin “suddenly ‘grew’ for the meeting with Trump”. “A strange element resembling a light exoskeleton was noticed in the outfit of the Russian dictator,” alleged Crimean Wind.
The 20-centimeter – or eight-inch – difference in the leaders’ heights was “not very noticeable on the video,” the outlet noted.
“However, something resembling a light exoskeleton under the [trousers] – at least from the knees down – is noticeable,” they added. “Apparently, suffering from a Napoleon complex, Putin decided not to limit himself to traditional shoes with hidden platforms adding up to 12 cm [almost 5 inches] in height for the ‘meeting of the century.'”.
Subsequently, Putin was seen bending his knee to place flowers at the burial sites of Soviet aviators and other service members at the Fort Richardson Memorial Cemetery. During World War II’s Lend-Lease program, Soviet pilots received training in Alaska and ferried US-manufactured aircraft across the Bering Strait.
Some perished during training exercises or missions. Following his tribute, Putin headed back to his “Flying Kremlin” Il-96-300PU presidential aircraft, where he goes by “Passenger Number One”.
Video from Putin’s aircraft showed he was accompanied by a stealth F-22 US air force fighter from Anchorage to the American-Russian boundary. Soon after crossing the International Date Line, Putin landed in the isolated Russian territory of Chukotka, where former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich previously held the position of governor, for discussions with regional authorities.
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