Russian President Vladimir Putin is attending a press conference following the summit of the Astana Trial in Tehran, Iran, on July 19. (Majid Asgaripour / WANA / Reuters)
Russian President Vladimir Putin is “totally healthy” despite “many rumors” about his health, according to a senior US intelligence official.
“There are a lot of rumors about President Putin’s health and, as far as we can tell, he’s too healthy,” CIA Director Bill Burns said when asked directly if Putin is unhealthy or unstable.
Burns acknowledged that his public statements at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado on Wednesday were not “a formal intelligence trial.”
Putin has recently appeared in photos with an apparent swelling on his face that has led to speculation that he could be undergoing medical treatment for an unknown illness.
The Kremlin has previously denied rumors of illness.
“I don’t think any sensible person can see in this person signs of any kind of illness or ailment. I leave this in the consciousness of those who spread these rumors despite the daily opportunities to make sure who looks like in this world.” , he added. Minister Sergey Lavrov told French broadcaster TF1 in May.
Some background: When Russia invaded Ukraine in February, American politicians and former diplomats openly speculated about Putin’s stability.
From using a huge table during talks with French President Emmanuel Macron after refusing a Russian Covid-19 test, to making a speech with conspiracy theories to justify the invasion of Ukraine, some of the behaviors of Putin have near the strange.
According to a CNN report released in March, US officials are also “on guard against the possibility that Putin’s strategy is to project instability, in an attempt to push the US and its allies to give him what he wants out of fear that he might make it worse.
When asked in March if there have been any noticeable changes in Putin’s behavior, psychiatrist Dr. Kenneth Dekleva told CNN, “Yes and no.”
Dekleva, who previously worked at the U.S. embassy in Moscow and specializes in analyzing leadership / political psychology profiles for national security purposes, said Putin’s behavior is a sign of frustration with the pace. of the invasion of Russia.
“I don’t think it’s erratic or changed, but it’s definitely in a hurry,” Dekleva said.
“The saddest thing here, the most tragic thing is that Putin has gone from being a respected world leader when he first came to power to … now he increasingly resembles the Russian Slobodan Milosevic,” Dekleva added, comparing Putin with the Serb. autocrat who died in The Hague in 2006 while awaiting trial for war crimes.
CNN’s Uliana Pavlova, Sarah Diab, and Zachary B. Wolf contributed to this publication.