Vladimir Putin was muted for 34 seconds as he gave a major speech to world leaders on Friday (12 December). The Russian president, 73, was due to speak in front of 16 heads of state and government at the International Forum on Peace and Trust session in Turkmenistan capital Ashgabat when he experienced issues with his microphone. Attendees watched on as Putin tried multiple times to begin his speech, but could not be heard. He was then shown how to use a switch to turn on the microphone. Watch