Russian President Vladimir Putin. Picture: Alexander Zemlianichenko/EPA
Cape Town - Following reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin may be ill with cancer, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has denied the speculation during an interview with French TV.
Last week, the New York Post as well as the Daily Mail reported that Putin could be forced to hand over power temporarily in order to undergo cancer surgery. The reports cited a Telegram channel run by a former Russian Foreign Intelligence Service lieutenant-general that referred to Putin's “sickly appearance and uncharacteristically fidgety behaviour in public”. However, US officials said the reports could not be verified.
On Monday, Indo-Asian News Service reported that Lavrov told French TV that the Russian leader appears in public every day and that there are no signs of an ailment.
“I don't think that sane people can see in this person signs of some kind of illness or ailment,” said Lavrov.
“You can watch him on screens, read and listen to his speeches… I leave it to the conscience of those who spread such rumours despite daily opportunities to assess how anyone is looking,” he said.
The update comes as fighting intensifies in Ukraine and reports that the Kremlin were reusing old footage of Putin for several meetings.
IOL