Putin plays piano as he awaits talks with Xi

May 14, 2017 09:51 pm | Updated 09:51 pm IST - BEIJING

Piano man:  Russian President Vladimir Putin playing the piano at state Diaoyutai residence in Beijing on Sunday.

Piano man: Russian President Vladimir Putin playing the piano at state Diaoyutai residence in Beijing on Sunday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin played piano while awaiting Chinese leader Xi Jinping for bilateral talks in Beijing on Sunday.

Mr. Putin spoke earlier on Sunday at a summit on China's new Silk Road plan. He later arrived at state Diaoyutai residence for talks with Mr. Xi and other leaders.

While waiting for his bilateral with Mr. Xi to begin, Mr. Putin played several chords. According to TASS news agency and state Russian television, Mr. Putin played passages from Soviet-era songs about Moscow and St Petersburg.

The 64-year-old former KGB spy has demonstrated his skills on the piano in the past although he has mostly cultivated a macho image. That included riding a horse in Siberia, piloting firefighting planes and diving in submersible into the depths of Lake Baikal and Black Sea.

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