Vladimir Putin spoke English in rare moment in plea for people to help Russia

A rare clip has revealed what Vladimir Putin sounds like when speaking English.

Last month, the Russian President was recently reported to have conducted a 90-minute phone call with US leader Donald Trump over the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and potential.

We don't have to wonder too much about the topics discussed, as both the White House and the Kremlin released key takeaways from the conversation.

However, many of us may have been left wondering exactly how did Trump and Putin converse with each other during the phone call.

It's pretty safe to assume that Trump doesn't speak a word of Russian; a quick Google search tells us he is proficient in only English, although he may know the odd Slovenian word on account of his wife and son.

But what about Putin, does he speak any English?

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin at a 2018 press conference (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

While the Russian leader is only seen speaking through the use of an interpreter during press conferences, he does possess a decent proficiency when it comes to foreign languages.

In fact, the 72-year-old once gave a rare public address in English when announcing Russia's bid to host the 2020 World Expo in the city of Yekaterinburg.

Have a listen for yourself below:

Why does Vladimir Putin rarely speak English?

English isn't the only foreign language which Putin speaks either, with the Russian leader reportedly fluent in German, thanks to his days as a Soviet spy in East Germany, and he's even delivered various speeches in the language.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, said (via i News) in 2021 that Putin 'understands English completely' and even corrects his translators from time to time.

So now that we know Putin is fluent - or at least conversational - in two foreign languages, the next question is: why does the Russian leader seemingly refuse to not speak Russian with world leaders?

Well, like most of us, he may simply feel more comfortable expressing himself in his native tongue, and prefers to eliminate the potential to be misunderstood, particularly during high level talks or world summits.

"In Russian, thank God, I get by in German and I can express myself more or less in English," he once reportedly responded, when asked why he prefers to conduct business in Russian over any other languages.

The Russian leader can speak English and German to varying degrees (SERGEI ILYIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

After all, it would be pretty embarrassing if a world leader accidentally tanked their economy or declared war due to an accidental mistranslation during a highly televised speech.

So if you ever, for some reason, find yourself in a situation where you're having a conversation with Vladimir Putin, expect him to exchange pleasantries in English before switching to Russian for the nitty gritty.