Turkmenistan is the latest country to gift Russian President Vladimir Putin a puppy.
Verny, a Central Asian Shepherd, is the third dog Putin has received from foreign dignitaries, according to the Associated Press. Past shaggy presents came from Japan and Bulgaria.
Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov presented Verny by the scruff of its neck to Putin for his 65th birthday. Video from the exchange shows Putin quickly cuddling his new dog, then kissing it atop its head as a faint smile appears on the Russian leader’s face.
But fear not comrade, Putin will most likely turn the adorable pup into an intimidation tool to use against other world leaders.
