‘It would be boring without gossip’ – Putin makes first appearance in 11 days Russian president meets Kyrgyz head of state in St Petersburg after disappearing on 5 March amid speculation of ill-health, childbirth and palace coup. “It would be boring without gossip.” That, it seems, may be the only explanation the world will ever get from the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, about his whereabouts for the past 11 days – an absence that launched a thousand rumours of ill-health, childbirth or even a palace coup. Putin, wearing a pink tie and in apparent good health, met with the Kyrgyz leader, Almazbek Atanbayev, in a St Petersburg palace on Monday, the first time he has been seen in public since 5 March. Atambayev himself commented on the speculation during the joint appearance, telling reporters: “Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin] has just driven me around the palace, and was behind the wheel himself, so there would be fewer rumours. He’s not only walking, he’s driving his guests around.” Russian television did little to dampen speculation when it announced on Friday that the meeting between Putin and Atambayev had already taken place, offering no video footage. The news item was later dismissed as a technical error. Putin’s absence was made more suspicious by the Kremlin passing off as current events photographs from meetings that took place days earlier. A meeting in Astana with the president of Kazakhstan was cancelled, with local sources saying Putin had pulled out due to illness, and then denying it. Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, had declined to give any information about his whereabouts, initially insisting that the president was engaged in continual meetings and was still so strong that he was “breaking hands” with his handshake. On Sunday he had said “the topic is closed”.