Putin’s shaky feet fuel Parkinson’s speculation

Vladimir Putin has a meeting with Alexander Lukashenko

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Vladimir Putin has been mocked by a top Ukrainian official after footage emerged of the Russian autocrat’s leg shaking uncontrollably during his meeting with Belarussian leader Lukashenko last week. Ukrainian internal affairs advisor Anton Geraschchenko suggested Putin was sending “Morse code” with his continuous foot tapping, while another commentator joked that he was “dancing to American Rock’n’Roll!”. The footage also resparked rumours that Putin is unwell, with one social media user, whose father died of Parkinson’s, claiming it looked like the “later early stages” of the disease.

In the video of the meeting between Putin and Lukashenko, the left leg of the Russian leader can be seen shaking relentlessly.

Mr Gerashchenko, a former deputy minister in Ukraine, commented on the clip on his Telegram channel.

He said: “Putin’s feet during his meeting with Lukashenko. Is this Morse code?”

Central and eastern European news outlet Visegrad tweeted that it “looks like something is wrong” with the Russian leader.

Another social media user said it looked like Putin was saying: “Guys, I love to dance American Rock’n’Roll!”

One Twitter commentator with knowledge of Parkinson’s said: “Whether restless or medical, it’s not normal behaviour on [the] world stage.

“Seven years I cared for my father who died of Parkinson’s. I can attest it looks like later early stages, but you be the judge.”

Another person brought attention to Putin’s right hand “gripping the chair” as possible evidence of an ailment.

They wrote: “Notice the right hand gripping the chair. He also grips the corner of a table. Perhaps to stop trembling? e.g. early stage Parkinsons?”

Speculation over Putin’s health has been rife in the last year following his ordering of the invasion of Ukraine last February.

There is, however, little to no evidence that the 70-year-old is suffering from a debilitating illness, with CIA director William Burns claiming last summer that the Russian leader was “entirely too healthy”.

Speaking at the Aspen Security Forum in July, Mr Burns told NBC’s Andrea Mitchell that while it was “not a formal intelligence judgement”, there were no inside reports of Putin’s poor health.

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During his talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko last week, Putin proposed to discuss security issues, military cooperation and ways to further bolster economic ties with the neighbouring country.

Putin noted that Belarus has preserved Soviet-era industrial assets, adding that it offers good opportunities for joint manufacturing programs.

“By pooling our efforts we will create synergy,” Putin said. “It could be very efficient in some sectors and bring good results for both Belarus and Russia.”

Russia has been a major sponsor of Belarus’ Soviet-style economy, which relies on cheap Russian energy and loans. Last year, Lukashenko and Putin met 13 times.

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