2017 Calendar Shows Many Sides of Vladimir Putin

  This is What’s Trending Today. The world is getting its first look at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s official 2017 calendar. The calendar shows many sides of the Russian leader. Some photographs show Putin doing hard things, such as sitting in a fighter airplane or climbing onto farm equipment. Other photos seem to show his softer side. In one picture, the Russian leader is seen smiling while cuddling a cat. In another, he is holding a child while on a ski trip. Other pictures show him standing by the sea in scuba diving equipment, riding a horse, sitting in a tree, and meeting with World War II veterans.      One photo seems like it would appear in a fashion magazine. In it, Putin is wearing dark sunglasses and the latest in men’s clothing. The BBC’s Moscow correspondent, Steve Rosenberg, got one of the first copies of the new calendar. He made a short video of the photos, which he later posted to Twitter. “Putin with a candle, Putin with a child, with a kitten, Putin by himself, with war veterans, and so on and so on,” Rosenberg said in the video. Rosenberg added that the 2017 calendar ends with a look ahead to 2018. He translated a statement from Russian into English. He read the statement, which the calendar says came from Putin himself. ​ “Russia is a peace-loving and self-sufficient country. We do not need other peoples' territories. We do not need other peoples' natural resources. But if we are threatened, we are prepared to use weapons to guarantee our security.” And that's What's Trending Today. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English. His story was based on reports from VOA News and BBC. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   calendar – n. something documenting the days, weeks and months of the year cuddle – v. to hold someone or something to show affection ski – n. two long, narrow pieces of wood that are used to slide on snow scuba diving – n. sport in which people swim under water veteran – n. person who served in the military fashion – n. popular way of dressing in new styles of clothes candle – n. stick of wax that you burn for light kitten – n. young cat self-sufficient – adj. able to meet your needs with your own resources

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