Vladimir Putin hobbled along
the red carpet after touching down in Iran today as the Russian leader
continues to battle rumours about his failing health.
The president, who has been
plagued by claims he is suffering from Parkinson’s or cancer, limped off the
plane while not moving his right arm.
It is not the first time
Putin’s public appearances have raised questions over his wellbeing, and he has
frequently been seen shaking, holding on to objects for support and looking
bloated and puffy.
Putin arrived in Iran to
forge a fearsome new alliance, with both sanctions-hit countries united by their
hatred for the West.
The Russian leader is meeting
President Raisi and Ayatollah Khamenei, the Islamic Republic’s supreme
leader, during the talks aimed at boosting ties between the regimes.
It is only the second time
Putin has been abroad since launching his brutal invasion of Ukraine five
months ago.
The meeting comes amid
warnings from the US last week that Iran is preparing to sell drones to
Russia to use in Ukraine.
National Security Advisor Jake
Sullivan said Tehran is planning to provide ‘hundreds’ of combat drones to
Moscow, and Iranian soldiers will train their Russian counterparts in how to
use the drones – with lessons beginning in just a few weeks.
