The leg of Russian president Vladimir Putin was spotted ‘twitching suspiciously’ as he bid farewell to Donald Trump at the just concluded Alaska summit.

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.

What people think

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. 

Some others 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.