Vladimir Putin probably wouldn’t be able to get away with stating that many people on the world.
Yet perhaps the Russian president is careful not to get enraged at the friends he still has while his horrific war in Ukraine further isolates him from the rest of the world.
But, things became very awkward when the president of Belarus informed him that he appeared a little exhausted during a meeting in Moscow yesterday.
Aleksandr Lukashenko asked his fellow despot, before even saying hello, “Are you OK?
Looks worn out.
Putin shrugged and the two leaders warmly embraced, but Lukashenko would not let it go, adding: ‘I am saying to you, a tired president!’
When the Belarusian dictator started berating his aides for not looking after him properly, Putin said: ‘It’s OK, I’ve got to work a bit and then pick up my salary at the end of the month.
‘You have to earn your pay cheque.’
Lukashenko, an authoritarian who has ruled Belarus as its president since 1994, is one of the Russian leader’s few remaining friends in Europe.
The Kremlin has often used its special relationship with the country strategically since the invasion of Ukraine in February last year.
At the very beginning, Belarus was used as a launch pad for Russian troops to enter the country from the north ahead of their failed bid to capture Kyiv.
On Tuesday, the same day Finland officially entered Nato, Russia’s defense minister Sergei Shoigu announced Belarusian jets were capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
The news came just over a week after Putin said his country had struck a deal with Belarus to station tactical nuclear weapons on its territory.
He said the construction of a storage facility for the weapons would be completed by July 1.
Lukashenko’s visit to Moscow was reportedly set to last two days, and involve discussions about how the two countries can expand their ties even further.
His closeness with Putin has not come without a cost, as the US imposed fresh sanctions on seven Belarusian election officials, two state-owned automotive manufacturers and the president’s private Boeing 737 aircraft last month.