Russian President Vladimir Putin is “fine,” according to the Kremlin, after having a coughing fit during a televised meeting on the coronavirus with his senior officials, the New York Post reports.
Putin, who is 68 years old, had to pause while speaking and coughed for several seconds during his video conference on the financial problems caused by the coronavirus with various officials, including Finance Minister Anton Siluanov.
A spokesperson for the Kremlin told state news agency TASS that Putin is “absolutely fine,” and TASS downplayed the incident, saying, “Putin held a meeting with government members and coughed a few times. The president apologized and continued the meeting almost without pausing.”
The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reports that Russia has the fifth-highest number of cases worldwide, with over 2 million as of Thursday, and a death toll of 34,525.
Two senior members of Putin’s administration, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and press secretary Dmitry Peskov, tested positive for the coronavirus in May.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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