Russian President Vladimir Putin is drawing fresh speculation about his health after Russian state media photographed him at the head of a new circular table. Putin was joined by leaders of the Collective Security Treaty Organization countries, including Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, around the "long but round" table amid rumors about the Russian leader's health. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had repeatedly dismissed any concerns about Putin's health, including last month when he denied that Putin had undergone surgery for thyroid cancer. Table Separating Macron And Putin Was So Long Due To Macron's Reported Fears Over Russian Spying Via PCR Test https://t.co/pXIxxAtSYK pic.twitter.com/qRsrbadUbj — Forbes (@Forbes) February 10, 2022Visiting leaders can choose to submit to a Kremlin-administered COVID-19 swab test or sit at the far end of the table. Macron declined to take the test, citing concerns that Russia would have his DNA.

Source: Forbes May 17, 2022 14:32 UTC