A viral video showing Vladimir Putin's hand trembling before a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart has added to concerns about the health of the Russian leader.
In the footage, Putin can be seen holding his hand up and shaking it before he greets Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and embraces him.
Putin also appears to walk with a stiff leg before taking a few steps forward, sparking further concern for his health.
Commentators have questioned whether the Russian leader could be suffering from Parkinson's disease. The video was posted on Twitter page Visegrad 24 and has been viewed over 1 million times.
Many suspected it after his weird meeting sign Shoigu, during which he held on to the table for 13 minutes.
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) April 24, 2022
This is probably the clearest video of something being wrong with Putin’s health.
Look at his leg & hand tremors!
Any doctor out there willing to weigh in?
Parkinson? pic.twitter.com/Vt0TpHtdrF
"Many suspect it after his weird meeting sign Shoigu, during which he held on to the table for 13 minutes," the caption read.
"This is probably the clearest video of something being wrong with Putin's health. Look at his leg and hand tremors.
"Any doctor out there willing to weigh in? Parkinsons?"
The new speculation comes after a video circulated on social media last week that showed Putin gripping a desk while meeting Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
While the Kremlin indicated that the two met to discuss Russia's military strategy in Mariupol, a strategic port city in Ukraine where Putin has declared "success," onlookers from afar focused on how the president looked.
In the images, Putin can be seen gripping the table between him and Shoigu, as well as slouching down in his chair, and speculation soon spread that he could be in poor health. Rumors have previously surfaced in recent months that the leader could be suffering from an illness.
The Kremlin earlier this month denied that Putin had undergone surgery related to thyroid cancer, online outlet The Moscow Times reported on April 1.
The video of Putin's meeting with his defense minister has been viewed over 2.4 million times, with many again questioning whether the Russian president could be suffering from Parkinson's disease.
On April 1, the Russian news outlet Proekt published an investigative story that claimed Putin is routinely seen by a team of doctors. The site alleged that two ear, nose and throat specialists have regularly visited Putin, as has an oncology surgeon who specializes in thyroid cancer. Proekt's report also alleged that Putin had been using an alternative therapy that involves bathing in blood extract from severed deer antlers.
The Moscow Times reported that journalist Alexei Venediktov wrote on his Telegram channel that he had asked Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov about the cancer rumors.
"Fiction and untruth," Peskov told Venediktov, which prompted the journalist to specifically ask if it was correct to say that Putin does not have cancer.
"Correct," Peskov answered, according to The Moscow Times.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment.
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Gerrard Kaonga is a Newsweek U.S. News Reporter and is based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on U.S. ... Read more
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