Russia's Putin plays piano as he awaits talks with Xi
Reuters
May 15, 2017 08:44 MYT
May 15, 2017 08:44 MYT
Russian President Vladimir Putin plays piano before meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the first day of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China May 14, 2017. Sputnik/Aleksey Nikolskyi/Kremlin via REUTERS
Russian President Vladimir Putin played piano while awaiting Chinese leader Xi Jinping for bilateral talks in Beijing on Sunday.
Putin spoke earlier on Sunday at a summit on China's new Silk Road plan. He later arrived at state Diaoyutai residence for talks with Xi and other leaders. [nL4N1IG02Y]
While waiting for his bilateral with Xi to begin, Putin played several chords. According to TASS news agency and state Russian television, Putin played passages from Soviet-era songs about Moscow and St Petersburg.
The 64-year-old former KGB spy has demonstrated his skills on the piano in the past although he has mostly cultivated a macho image. That included riding a horse in Siberia, piloting firefighting planes and diving in submersible into the depths of Lake Baikal and Black Sea off Crimea coast.