I'm not getting enough sleep- Vladimir Putin confesses to his Belarusian counterpart
Thu Jun 09, 2016 03:12:pm World
2.6K By Buchi Obichie
Russian President Vladimir Putin has not been sleeping well of late, he was caught telling his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko.
Putin arrived in Minsk on Wednesday to meet with Lukashenko and as the two sat down for a joint press meeting, discussing Russian and Belarusian relations, the microphones were switched on just in time to catch their small talk before the start of the address.
"Everything alright," a cheerful Lukashenko is seen asking the slightly glum Russian president.
"I'm alright. I don't sleep much," Putin shared with his Belarusian counterpart. "The day before yesterday I slept four hours. Last nightfive hours. I go to bed at three and I wake up at eight."
"That's bad," Lukashenko replied, as the cameras start flashing. The footage appeared on YouTube, and spread quickly on Russian social media.
Putin did not explain what had kept him awake over the last few days. The nights he was referring to happened to coincide with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Moscow. On Tuesday the two attended the Bolshoi Theatretogether.
Last year Putin told a boy from Russia's city of Nalchik, who dreamt of becoming president one day, that a good night's sleep is vital for the making of a "healthy president." It seems the Russian president does not heed by his own advice though as the head of his administration Sergei Ivanov has previously said that Putin frequently goes to bed "very late" and gets up too early, dedicating most of his day to work.
The Russian leader is known to enjoy the odd night of late night revelry. He once famously missed a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a 2014 summit in Milan, after spending the night partying with his friend the former Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi. The Kremlin said Putin left Berlusconi's house at around 4am, with a second day of meetings ahead of him.
Russian social media speculated on the other things that might be robbing the president of his sleep. Some suggested he might be trembling under his duvet in fear at how much more expensive his grocery shopping might get as Russia's economic crisis worsens, while others suggested noisy neighbours could be the source of his woes. One Twitter user drew a parallel between Putin and another famous Vlad with abnormal nocturnal habitsDracula. "Is the coffin too uncomfortable," he asked.
Although Lukashenko and Putin have been close allies for almost two decades, their meetings often have a gaffe or two, most recently when Lukashenko was left blushing at their meeting in February after he confused Putin for Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedevin conversation.
Putin arrived in Minsk on Wednesday to meet with Lukashenko and as the two sat down for a joint press meeting, discussing Russian and Belarusian relations, the microphones were switched on just in time to catch their small talk before the start of the address.
"Everything alright," a cheerful Lukashenko is seen asking the slightly glum Russian president.
"I'm alright. I don't sleep much," Putin shared with his Belarusian counterpart. "The day before yesterday I slept four hours. Last nightfive hours. I go to bed at three and I wake up at eight."
"That's bad," Lukashenko replied, as the cameras start flashing. The footage appeared on YouTube, and spread quickly on Russian social media.
Putin did not explain what had kept him awake over the last few days. The nights he was referring to happened to coincide with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Moscow. On Tuesday the two attended the Bolshoi Theatretogether.
Last year Putin told a boy from Russia's city of Nalchik, who dreamt of becoming president one day, that a good night's sleep is vital for the making of a "healthy president." It seems the Russian president does not heed by his own advice though as the head of his administration Sergei Ivanov has previously said that Putin frequently goes to bed "very late" and gets up too early, dedicating most of his day to work.
The Russian leader is known to enjoy the odd night of late night revelry. He once famously missed a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a 2014 summit in Milan, after spending the night partying with his friend the former Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi. The Kremlin said Putin left Berlusconi's house at around 4am, with a second day of meetings ahead of him.
Russian social media speculated on the other things that might be robbing the president of his sleep. Some suggested he might be trembling under his duvet in fear at how much more expensive his grocery shopping might get as Russia's economic crisis worsens, while others suggested noisy neighbours could be the source of his woes. One Twitter user drew a parallel between Putin and another famous Vlad with abnormal nocturnal habitsDracula. "Is the coffin too uncomfortable," he asked.
Although Lukashenko and Putin have been close allies for almost two decades, their meetings often have a gaffe or two, most recently when Lukashenko was left blushing at their meeting in February after he confused Putin for Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedevin conversation.
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