Putin slams back chair and shuffles feet during meeting with Cuban president, latest sign of health problems

Vladimir Putin has again been photographed clutching a chair and shuffling his feet amid speculation about the Russian president’s health.

Footage from Putin’s Tuesday meeting with Miguel Díaz-Canel, Cuba’s president and leader of the country’s Communist Party, showed the Russian despot sitting uncomfortably in his chair as the pair spoke to the cameras.

Although his public appearances have been carefully orchestrated by Kremlin propagandists, this year has seen numerous signs that the 70-year-old Putin is suffering from health problems, fueling speculation and rumours.

Putin’s left hand is wrapped tightly around the back of the white chair he is sitting on, as if trying to steady himself. Meanwhile, Putin’s right hand seems to be playing with something, tapping his feet and shuffling them over the carpet of flowers

In the latest example, we see a puffy face of Putin, smiling suspiciously as he talks to Díaz-Canel in front of a marble fireplace in Moscow.

His left hand is wrapped tightly around the back of the white chair he is sitting on, as if trying to steady himself. Putin’s right hand seems to be playing with something, tapping his feet and shuffling them across the floral carpet.

On Wednesday, Putin was photographed at another meeting – this time with Dmitri Mazepin, chief executive of Uralchem​​​​​​Group, a Russian manufacturer. The two sat across from each other at a large wooden desk where Putin regularly held meetings.

Similar to his meeting with the Cuban president, the Russian president was holding the edge of his desk with his right hand in the photos.

Even before Vladimir Putin ordered his forces to invade Ukraine on February 24, rumors about his health circulated.

But with the added scrutiny Putin has faced since the war began, there are more signs that Putin is struggling with health issues.

Pictured: Vladimir Putin (right) taps his feet as he meets Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel at the Russian Kremlin on Tuesday

On Wednesday, Putin was photographed at another meeting – this time with Dmitri Mazepin, chief executive of Uralchem​​​​​​Group, a Russian manufacturer. The couple sat across from each other at a large wooden table held by Putin (left)

In July, the Russian president was photographed swatting mosquitoes off his face. That same month, he was seen limping out of his presidential plane during the welcoming ceremony in Tehran.

Similarly, the 70-year-old appeared to limp during a major victory parade in Moscow in May and had a blanket over his lap as he clung to a large desk during a televised meeting with his defense minister in April .

Since then, several of Putin’s televised meetings with other Kremlin officials — all from the same desk — have often shown him holding the tabletop.

More recently, on November 4, Putin was seen awkwardly laying flowers in Moscow’s Red Square to celebrate a national holiday.

He appeared to limp as he approached the monument and looked uncomfortable as he bent down to lay the bouquet in honor of Unity Day – a national holiday commemorating the expulsion of Russian forces and marking the beginning of the 17th century .

Meanwhile, fueled by his unexplained absences and erratic public appearances, opposition figures have made allegations that he has serious health problems, which the Kremlin has consistently denied.

APRIL 21: Putin holds his desk with his right hand as he meets with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in the early stages of the war. Footage of the rally raises questions about Putin’s health, which has only deteriorated since then

MAY 9: The 70-year-old appeared to be limping and had a blanket over his lap as he took part in the 2022 Russian Victory Day Parade in Moscow

NOVEMBER 4: Putin appeared to limp as he approached a monument and was uncomfortable bending down to place the bouquet

Earlier this month, emails from a Russian intelligence source appeared to confirm he had been diagnosed with cancer and Parkinson’s, according to The Sun.

The leaked documents said: “I can confirm that he has been diagnosed with early stage Parkinson’s, but the disease is already progressing. This fact is being denied and concealed by all means necessary.”

“Putin is regularly dosed with all kinds of heavy steroids and innovative pain-relieving injections to stop the spread of pancreatic cancer, with which he was recently diagnosed.

Not only does it cause a lot of pain, Putin also suffers from facial swelling and other side effects – including memory loss.

“There are rumors in his immediate environment that Putin has prostate cancer in addition to pancreatic cancer, which is slowly spreading.”

The tyrant was recently spotted with clear signs of IV treatment on the back of his hand, further fueling the fire.

Telegram channel General SVR has long claimed that Putin has cancer and Parkinson’s disease.

In late October, she reported that Putin’s loved ones were worried about coughing, persistent nausea and loss of appetite after he reportedly underwent a medical examination.

His circle fears that his “thinness and persistent cough” will stand out and be seen by elites in Russia as “a sign of the leader’s rapidly deteriorating health.”

Despite appearing quite bloated and puffy in the face, the Russian president has lost 18 pounds in recent months, the broadcaster, which claims to have Kremlin sources, said.

During Putin’s Tuesday meeting with his Cuban counterpart in Moscow, the two unveiled a monument to Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro and touted the “traditional friendship” between their sanctioned nations.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin inaugurated a monument to the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro on November 22 in Moscow

A video posted on the Kremlin’s website shows Putin and Cuba’s leader Miguel Diaz-Canel y Bermudez delivering speeches as Russian military guards flank a bronze statue of Castro.

The late Castro embraced Soviet-style communism after leading a revolution that ousted dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959.

He then braved a crippling US embargo and dozens of assassination attempts during his half-century rule on the island before dying in 2016 aged 90.

In a speech, Putin underlined Castro’s history of defiance, praising him for “selflessly defending the sovereignty of (his) homeland” and drawing parallels with Western sanctions imposed on Russia over its military campaign in Ukraine.

The Soviet Union and Russia have always supported the Cuban people in their struggle for independence and sovereignty. We have always opposed all kinds of restrictions, embargoes, blockades and so on.

“We have always supported Cuba on the international stage and we see that Cuba takes the same position towards Russia,” Putin said.

Trade between Cuba and Russia was worth about $500 million in 2019, noted Russia’s then-Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov during a visit to the island earlier this year.

Cuban state media reported that Diaz-Canel’s agenda will focus on the energy sector, which is very sensitive for the island as it battles food, medicine and fuel shortages.

Power outages lasted for hours in Cuba’s biggest cities, sparking protests.

The Cuban government has acknowledged the problem, blaming US sanctions, tightened under former President Donald Trump, for creating poverty and indirectly fueling protests.

Havana’s main political ally in the region, Venezuela, has sold the island the oil Cuba has needed for the past two decades. Cuba produces only half of the oil it needs for its economy.

From the 1960s to the 1990s, the Soviet Union offered Cuba many important imports: fertilizers, industrial equipment, parts, and most importantly, oil in exchange for sugar.

When the old alliance fell apart in the 1990s, Cuba owed Russia about $35 billion, 90 percent of which the Putin government waived in 2014. The rest was refinanced.