Russian President Vladimir Putin is a man of macho persuasions, having previously been spotted riding horses bare-chested, flying hang gliders and hurling opponents on the judo mat, but the former KGB agent attempted to show his softer side Sunday by playing a few simple melodies on a grand piano.
The impromptu performance came in a villa in Beijing, where Putin was waiting to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The 64-year-old “spotted a grand piano and, apparently captivated by the sight of it, sat down and performed a couple of songs,” Sputnik News reported.
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The songs in question are Soviet-era standards known for being the unofficial anthems of Moscow and Putin’s native St. Petersburg — although keen-eared listeners might surmise that the piano itself hadn’t been tuned since the Soviet era.
Putin’s meeting with the Chinese leader comes on the sidelines of the One Belt, One Way economic forum.