The strongman leader of Russia is a dominant force in political life and has been since first becoming prime minister in 1999, and alternating between that role and president — the Russian constitution does not allow presidents to serve more than two consecutive terms — up to the present day.
Despite apparently cordial relations between President Donald Trump and Putin, international headlines have been dominated by a U.S. investigation into whether the Russian state was involved in meddling in the 2016 U.S. election. So far, the investigation has charged individuals and businesses with interference, saying they sought to undermine Trump’s rival, Hillary Clinton.
U.S. intelligence agencies have unanimously agreed that Moscow interfered in the 2016 presidential election, something Russia has frequently denied.
— CNBC’s Holly Ellyatt contributed to this report.
