This is the moment the leg of Russian president Vladimir Putin was seen ‘twitching suspiciously’ as he bid farewell to Donald Trump.
Kremlin footage captured the Russian leader’s knee jolting repeatedly as he stood alongside his US counterpart at the end of their brief exchange following a joint press conference at the summit in Alaska.
The pair, flanked by security teams and aides, spoke for a short time, with a translator stepping in to assist their conversation.
Video clips shared online showed the Russian leader repeatedly dipping one knee as he stood beside the 6ft 3in former president at Elmendorf-Richardson air base in Anchorage – before departing without agreeing to a ceasefire in Ukraine.
But the unusual movements was seized by eagle-eyed Ukrainians, who ridiculed the 72-year-old’s fidgeting and speculated about the state of his health.
They even claimed he wore a ‘light exoskeleton’ as well as thick-platform shoes to overcome his ‘Napoleon complex’ and minimise his height difference with the US president.
An exoskeleton is wearable robotic device designed to assist or augment the posture of the person wearing it.
Observers also noted the striking difference in stature, with Trump’s 6ft 3in frame towering over the 5ft 7in Russian leader despite Putin’s visibly elevated footwear.
Kremlin footage captured the Russian leader’s knee jolting repeatedly as he stood alongside his US counterpart
The pair, flanked by security teams and aides, spoke for a short time, with a translator stepping in to assist their conversation
Trump and Putin stand in front of Air Force One after their handshake in Alaska
‘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.
As well as pushing out his knees, Putin repeatedly raised his left toe and heel in turn.
Another Ukrainian 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,’ claimed Crimean Wind.
The 20 centimetre – or eight inch – difference in the leaders’ heights was ‘not very noticeable on the video.
‘However, something resembling a light exoskeleton under the [trousers] – at least from the knees down – is noticeable.
‘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”.’
Donald Trump shakes Putin’s hand after their summit in Alaska
Putin is seen smiling during the joint press conference following the talks
The summit, and subsequent press conference, happened at Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska
‘Bad cop’ Marco Rubio speaks with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov
American fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighters escorted the plane carrying Vladimir Putin after his departure from Elmendorf-Richardson Air Base
Later Putin was seen bending his knee to lay flowers at the graves of Soviet pilots and other military personnel at the Fort Richardson Memorial Cemetery.
During the Lend-Lease programme during the Second World War, Soviet pilots trained in Alaska and ferried U.S.-built aircraft across the Bering Strait.
Some died during training or flights.
After laying flowers, Putin returned to his ‘Flying Kremlin’ Il-96-300PU presidential plane, where he is known as ‘Passenger Number One’.
American fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighters escorted the plane carrying Vladimir Putin after his departure from Elmendorf-Richardson Air Base following talks with Trump.
Soon afterwards – after crossing the International Date Line – Putin landed in the far-flung Russian region Chukotka, where ex-Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich was once the governor, for meetings with local officials.
Following the summit, Trump has been calling Volodymyr Zelensky and NATO and European allies to update them on the two-and-a-half hour meeting.
Zelensky has now said he will travel to Washington on Monday.
