Vladimir Putin showed signs of “concern and anxiety” as well as “diminished energy” before he suddenly “switched” into a furious swipe against NATO and the West, a body language expert has said.

The Russian president, who has been dodged by rumours of deteriorating health over recent months, delivered his annual State of the Nation address earlier today.

Putin wildly claimed NATO was preparing a large-scale attack on Russian territory while also issuing a chilling nuclear threat.

But body language expert Judi James identified several negative aspects about the despot’s behaviour.

She told Daily Express US: “The start of this address showed a startlingly different Putin to the smug, history-lecturing, controlling man we saw during his recent interview with Tucker Carlson.

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She continued: “There was a switch and a sudden upgrade to a state of aggressive arousal once he got to the point where he was taking on the ‘so-called West and their colonial habits of igniting conflict around the world’.

“By the second half of his speech, the body language mood music had changed dramatically. Suddenly he was showing signs of an energy arousal, shifting his weight from foot to foot and with his shoulders bristling.

“His face pulled into a signature sneer as he told his audience the West ‘want to do the same to Russia as they did to Ukraine‘. His brows puckered into an expression of anger as he appeared to bite at his words.”

For all the latest on news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to Daily Express US