Interestingly, tractors became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance during the first stage of the Russia-Ukraine war...
Digital Desk: After being rocked by wave after wave of Ukrainian successes on the battlefield, beleaguered Russian President Vladimir Putin celebrated his 70th birthday without any pomp and circumstance.
After suffering losses in Ukraine and domestic opposition to his special military operation, Putin may have found some comfort when his close ally and Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, presented him with a tractor as a thoughtful birthday present.
According to media sources, when the two leaders met on Friday at the Konstantin Palace in Putin's home city of St Petersburg, Lukashenko presented the Russian president with a gift certificate for a Belarusian-made tractor.
The iron-fisted leader of Belarus since 1994, Lukashenko, later revealed to reporters that he used the same tractor in his own garden.
Interestingly, tractors became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance during the first stage of the Russia-Ukraine war, with videos of them dragging Russian tanks going viral on social media.
Although Putin's initial response to the unusual gift was unknown, the Russian president has a long history with tractors and has frequently been pictured with them over the years.
In 2018, Putin took a simulated tractor ride at a factory in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. Previously, in 2010, he was spotted at the wheel of a tractor near Tambov. During a trade expo in Hanover in 2005, Russian President Vladimir Putin had a short joyride aboard a piece of agricultural machinery with then-German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
In addition to the tractor, Putin was showered with lavish presents from allies and leaders of friendly nations. To honour the Russian leader's special day, Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon reportedly gave him mountains of melons.
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