The White House refused to take a position on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s well being Monday amid circulating rumors that he’s unwell or affected by some kind of ailment.
A reporter requested White House press secretary Jen Psaki at a briefing Monday concerning the speculations, and he or she responded that she doesn’t have “any assessment to offer from here or any particular comment” on Putin’s well being.
Several current viral movies of Putin have sparked questions on his situation, particularly in gentle of the far-reaching impacts of the Russia-Ukraine War.
One video that was considered greater than 1 million instances and posted on the Twitter web page Visegrad 24 confirmed Putin simply earlier than a gathering with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Many suspected it after his bizarre assembly signal Shoigu, throughout which he held on to the desk for 13 minutes.
This might be the clearest video of one thing being improper with Putin’s well being.
Look at his leg & hand tremors!
Any physician on the market prepared to weigh in?
Parkinson? pic.twitter.com/Vt0TpHtdrF
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) April 24, 2022
In the video, Putin is initially standing alone. He holds up his hand, which seems to be shaking till he presses it towards his chest, after which walks stiffly towards Lukashenko earlier than greeting and embracing his Belarusian counterpart.
In the video’s caption, Visegrad 24 famous Putin’s hand tremors and stiff leg and requested whether or not any docs would weigh in on his well being. The Twitter web page additionally requested whether or not Putin may very well be affected by Parkinson’s illness.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Parkinson’s illness is a progressive nervous system dysfunction that may have an effect on motion.
“Symptoms start gradually, sometimes starting with a barely noticeable tremor in just one hand. Tremors are common, but the disorder also commonly causes stiffness or slowing of movement,” the group wrote on its web site.
Contributor/Getty Images
The Mayo Clinic additionally famous that Parkinson’s illness, in its early levels, could cause one’s face to indicate little or no expression and lead to speech turning into gentle or slurred.
“Parkinson’s disease symptoms worsen as your condition progresses over time,” the group stated.
Another video that has circulated on social media and fueled rumors about Putin’s well being was taken throughout a gathering with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu concerning the Russian army’s actions within the Ukrainian port metropolis of Mariupol. In the video, which had 2.5 million views as of publication time and was posted on Twitter by Financial Times reporter Max Seddon, Putin is seen seated reverse of Shoigu at a desk.
He grips the desk with one hand and repeatedly faucets one foot on the bottom whereas talking. Some social media customers have identified Putin progressively sinks down in his chair throughout the video.
Shoigu, throughout from Putin, stays upright and perched on the sting of his seat all through the footage.
CNN contributor Frida Ghitis reposted Seddon’s video with the caption “Putin, sinking in his chair, gripping the table. He’s okay, right? Healthy?”
Putin is 69 years previous and has served as Russia’s president for many years. He grew to become the appearing president of Russia in 1999 after the resignation of former Russian President Boris Yeltsin, after which was formally elected president in 2000, NPR reported.
The current social media hypothesis will not be the primary time that Putin’s well being has been questioned.
Back in 2020, the British tabloid newspaper The Sun revealed a report, which cited a Russian political pundit, saying that Putin was planning to step down. The Kremlin denied the reviews and stated that Putin had “excellent health,” Newsweek beforehand reported.
Newsweek reached out to the White House and Russia’s Foreign Ministry for remark.