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Questions are once again being asked about the health of Vladimir Putin, after footage of his meeting with Kim Jong-un today showed him repeatedly twitching his foot.
The Russian president appeared to get restless during the hours-long summit at the remote Vostochny Cosmodrome, a spaceport in the far east of the country.
While clasping his fingers, the 70-year-old kept rolling his foot around on its heel as he talked about his discussions with Kim.
His behaviour has added fuel to rumours he is suffering from undisclosed medical conditions.
Last year, several clips emerged of Putin tightly gripping tables or the arms of chairs, leading to suggestions he may have terminal cancer or Parkinson’s disease.
Unverified reports last year claimed the president had early stage Parkinson’s, a neurological condition that causes uncontrollable movements, though these were rubbished by the Kremlin.
In an appearance at a military command post and at an Easter church service, he seemed unsteady on his feet and kept chewing on his lips.
Several pictures showed him with a puffy face, allegedly a side effect of steroid treatment for pancreatic cancer.
He appeared similarly unable to keep his feet still during an appearance with Kazakh president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in November.
Restless legs syndrome, also known as Willis-Ekbom disease, is common in people who have Parkinson’s – although it can have other causes.
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Those foot twitches were not the only odd behaviour the warmonger exhibited while welcoming Kim to Russia today.
When the North Korean leader left his black car at the spaceport, Putin engaged him in an awkward 40-second handshake that mostly consisted of a locked, unmoving grip.
Nevertheless, their meeting mostly consisted of chummy pleasantries as each tried to work out how the other could boost their fortunes.
Kim heaped praise on Russia for its ‘just fight against hegemonic forces’, adding that North Korea would always stand alongside them on the ‘anti-imperialist front’.
The Kremlin has repeatedly dismissed speculation about Putin’s health (Picture: Getty Images)
The location of the summit has led to speculation that Kim may be seeking help in developing military reconnaissance satellites.
Analysts believe Putin wants to get his hands on tens of millions of ageing artillery shells and rockets in the North Korean arsenal, which could give a huge boost to the Russian army in Ukraine.
But either buying arms from or providing rocket technology to the country would violate international sanctions that the Kremlin has supported in the past.
Reuters reported that Kim wrote in a visitors book at the space centre: ‘The glory to Russia, which gave birth to the first space conquerors, will be immortal.’
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