Sinister reason Vladimir Putin walked with one arm by his side when meeting Trump

If you have watched Vladimir Putin walk then you might have noticed he swings one of his arms much more than he does the other.

The Russian leader was in Alaska last week to meet with US President Donald Trump for discussions over a possible ceasefire in Ukraine, though talks failed to provide any concrete results.

According to a body language expert, Trump greeted Putin like a 'celebrity' when he arrived in Alaska but was sterner later on during the summit.

Footage of Putin and Trump walking together shows the Russian leader with his left arm swinging in time with his steps while his right arm is mostly kept down by his side and doesn't move anywhere near as much.

A team of experts reckon they've worked out the reason why Putin regularly walks like this, as the same step has been observed on plenty of other occasions.

A study from a group of neurologists published back in 2015 called the strange way Putin walks and keeps one arm by his side the 'gunslinger's gait'.

You can see the odd way Putin walks in the video below:

As President Trump and Russian President Putin meet in Alaska, former U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Daniel Baer explains why the terms of any ceasefire deal would be critical to lasting peace. pic.twitter.com/0UvYxQmuqE

— ABC News Live (@ABCNewsLive) August 15, 2025

The researchers suggested it comes from KGB training, which Putin would have picked up when he worked for the Soviet spy agency, and a KGB manual laid out how to walk like this.

The researchers explained: "According to this manual, KGB operatives were instructed to keep their weapon in their right hand close to their chest and to move forward with one side, usually the left, presumably allowing subjects to draw the gun as quickly as possible when confronted with a foe."

Studying various other Russian figures they found that many of them walked with the 'gunslinger's gait', particularly if they'd had KGB training in the past.

Putin worked for the KGB for 16 years before retiring to get into politics.

As for what happened at the meeting, Putin has reportedly laid down his conditions for stopping his invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian leader has called for Ukraine to officially cede the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk to him, sources have claimed.

In the three years since Russia invaded, it has occupied around 70 percent of Donetsk and nearly all of Luhansk, but his conditions would mean Ukraine giving Russia territory it has not managed to occupy.

Many political commentators have noted this is a bitter pill Zelenskyy is unlikely to swallow, as he's due to meet with Trump later today (18 August).