The Russian president will attend a regional security summit on Thursday
Russian President Vladimir Putin tried playing a traditional lute during his visit to Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, on Wednesday. Putin picked up a komuz as he toured a pavilion shaped like a nomadic yurt built on the grounds of the Kyrgyz presidential residence.
“It has three strings, just like a balalaika,” a musician in Kyrgyz national attire told Putin in a video. “Yes, I understand,” Putin replied.
As Putin attempted to play, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko could be heard saying that the instrument was “out of tune.”
During his trip, Putin met with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov. On Thursday, he will attend a summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a regional defense pact comprising countries that were part of the Soviet Union.