In perhaps an unprecedented burst of birthday diplomacy, Russian President Vladimir Putin celebrated turning 61 by quaffing vodka, wolfing down cake and being serenaded by some of the world’s most powerful men.
Putin on Tuesday recounted a series of light-hearted birthday moments that livened up the normally dour conference halls of a trade-focused Asia-Pacific leaders’ summit on the Indonesian resort island of Bali.
Apec leaders celebrate Putin's birthday
In a late-night meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday, Putin pulled out a bottle of vodka for a toast after his counterpart presented him with a cake.
“It was 11.00pm. I offered our Chinese friends to raise a shot of vodka,” Putin said, according to Russian state news agency ITAR-TASS.