Oh, is THAT why the Putinistas like him. I didn't know that.
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"He seemed to me very independent, very serious, but at the same time a boy is always vulnerable. He was very sweet. I’ll be honest: I felt an urge to squeeze him like a kitten..." —Russian president Vladimir Putin, sounding like Michael Jackson
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"In the footage, Putin, 53, is shown walking up to a small crowd of tourists in a Kremlin courtyard and crouching down in front of the boy, who appears to be five or six years old. As the Russian president talks with Nikita for several seconds, he tugs at the boy's shirt before finally lifting it up and kissing him on his bare stomach.
"He seemed to me very independent, very serious, but at the same time a boy is always vulnerable. He was very sweet. I'll be honest: I felt an urge to squeeze him like a kitten, and that led to the gesture that I made. There was nothing behind it really," Putin said, smiling.