MOSCOW- Russian President Vladimir Putin shared a rare personal detail this week, revealing that his granddaughter speaks fluent Chinese thanks to her nanny from Beijing—a remark that underscored the deepening ties between Russia and China.
“I mentioned that some of my close relatives are studying Chinese; I was referring to my granddaughter, whose nanny is from Beijing. She speaks Chinese fluently with her,” Putin said during a meeting with foreign journalists in St. Petersburg, which concluded early on June 19.
Putin added that Russians are increasingly interested in learning Chinese, a reflection of the countries’ growing economic cooperation. Bilateral trade between Russia and China has now reached US$240 billion (S$309 billion) annually.
His comments provided a rare glimpse into his otherwise closely guarded personal life and were seen as a symbolic gesture toward Russia’s strengthening strategic alliance with China. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, China has not joined in international sanctions against Moscow. Instead, it has solidified its role as one of Russia’s most critical trading partners.
At 72, Putin maintains a high level of privacy about his family. He is officially known to have two adult daughters from his first marriage: Maria Vorontsova (40) and Katerina Tikhonova (38), though he has never publicly confirmed their names. Both have been sanctioned by the United States, European Union, and United Kingdom in response to the Ukraine war.
Putin is not alone in directing personal and political attention toward China. Nikolay Lukashenko (20), the youngest son of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, a close Kremlin ally, is reportedly studying at a university in Beijing.