Wednesday 7 September 2022 10:53 AM Dictator Putin condemns 'undemocratic' election of Liz Truss as his legs twitch ... trends now
Vladimir Putin has taken a swipe at Britain and its 'undemocratic' election of Liz Truss in a rambling speech.
The Russian leader, whose legs twitched uncontrollably during the Eastern Economics Forum in Vladivostok today, made reference to the new prime minister's election by a small group of Conservative members.
The strongman also bizarrely claimed that 'we haven't lost anything' in Ukraine and said Russia 'has not started military activities' there despite already losing an estimated 50,000 troops.
On Truss, the dictator ironically said: 'The people of Great Britain don't take part, in this instance, in the change of government. The ruling elites there have their arrangements.'
Asked about prospects for ties with Britain, Putin said: 'We know the Tories' (Conservatives') position on these questions, including on relations with Russia. It's their business how to build relations with the Russian Federation.
The Russian leader's legs twitched uncontrollably during the Eastern Economics Forum in Vladivostok today
Vladimir Putin has taken a swipe at Britain and its 'undemocratic' election of Liz Truss in a rambling speech
The Russian leader made reference to the new prime minister's selection by a small group of Conservative members
A Ukrainian firefighter works to put out a fire at a destroyed residential building after a Russian military strike in Slovyansk
Ruins of a psychiatric hospital are seen after the Russian night shelling in Kramatorsk
'Our business is to defend our own interests and we will do that consistently, let no one be in any doubt about that.'
Truss is chiefly known in Russia for a visit she made to Moscow in February, when she and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a rancorous meeting, and she has regularly been the target of vicious sexist remarks on Kremlin TV.
During his remarks, Putin slouched in his chair as his legs constantly moved and he raised and wiggled his feet.
The leader has been at the centre of multiple health rumours in recent months and has regularly appeared twitching and unsteady while in public.
Multiple times in the past week, Putin has made similar gestures during his public appearance, fuelling the rumours about his ill health.
Questions about Putin's wellbeing have been circulating for some time with some suggesting he has cancer or Parkinson's and he has regularly disappeared for days at a time amid claims he is undergoing surgery.
But the rumours have grown stronger since he launched his barbaric invasion of Ukraine, with the leader often appearing to be not in full control of his limbs.
In recent months, he has been seen hobbling off a plane in Iran with a limp arm and twisting his foot in a meeting with Belarus dictator Lukashenko in May.
On Friday, he was seen squirming in his chair and looked ill at ease as he gripped an armrest with one hand before gesticulating with a tightly clenched fist, while the other hand clutched firm to the
