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No more comment on Putin’s health from Kremlin — spokesman

Putin's press secretary told the media Putin spent about 20 minutes in the car with the Kyrgyz president

Russian President Vladimir Putin Mikhail Metzel/TASS

Russian President Vladimir Putin

© Mikhail Metzel/TASS

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Kyrgyzstan’s president denies rumors Putin is unwell

STRELNA, March 16. /TASS/. The Kremlin will no longer make any comment regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin’s health in order to avoid triggering more rumors, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov declared after at Putin’s meeting with Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev journalists were able to see for themselves the Russian president was well and in good shape.

Putin and Atambayev were meeting against a backdrop of Internet media speculations the Russian president was not very well. The Kremlin press-service’s repeated statements to the contrary had little effect.

"We have said it a dozen times. Saying it again is just impossible. The more we talk, the more rumors there are," Peskov explained. "We don’t want to discuss this theme anymore."

The Kyrgyz president said he had raised the theme of Putin’s health to ensure there should be no more gossip.

"He has just taken me for a ride about the premises of the Konstantin Palace. He was driving the car himself to make sure there be fewer rumors," Atambayev said. "The Russian president not just goes out for strolls, but takes the seat at the wheel to take his guests for a fast ride," the Kyrgyz leader said.

"I had happened to hear various rumors about myself, but as you can see all that (rumors about health) are not very correct," Atambayev said. "As a Russian saying goes, ‘you won’t live to see that happen’."

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Putin, who was standing nearby, nodded with a smile and added: "Life would be too dull without rumors."

After the meeting Peskov told the media Putin and Atambayev had spent about 20 minutes in the car. The Russian president was showing various sites of the park to his guest. Peskov did not mention the make of the vehicle.

"They went sight-seeing, because there is no more snow already and everything is very beautiful. Atambayev is not very familiar with the local places of interest, so they explored the Konstantin Palace’s premises together," Peskov said.

While answering media questions Peskov explained why Putin and Atambayev had decided to meet in St. Petersburg: "The Kyrgyz president’s daughter is studying here. It was a sheer coincidence of plans making a trip to Moscow redundant."

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Vladimir Putin Dmitry Peskov Kyrgyzstan

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