[custom_adv] Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping took a break from their busy schedule and were seen flipping pancakes together on the sidelines of an international forum in Russia. [custom_adv] Donning navy blue aprons, Putin invited Xi for a cooking challenge and the two leaders were seen pouring batter and tossing Russian pancakes, called `bini`. [custom_adv] The Chinese President`s perfectly-shaped pancakes were hailed by Putin as "very neat".Xi is leading a delegation of nearly 1,000 Chinese business people and officials to the Eastern Economic Forum in Russia`s Far East city of Vladivostok. [custom_adv] The conference, conceived by Putin, is aimed at encouraging foreign investment, The New York Post reported. [custom_adv] After holding deliberations, the Russian leader invited Xi to show off his culinary skills at the Sea of Japan waterfront, where they prepared the pancakes, consuming them with caviar and a shot of vodka. [custom_adv] This was not the first time that Putin and Xi were engaged in "pancake diplomacy." Earlier in June, Putin, who was on a visit to China, prepared a Chinese pancake, which Xi later tasted. [custom_adv] Photos showed Putin and Xi, wearing blue aprons, pouring out batter and turning the pancakes over before eating them with caviar and a shot of vodka. [custom_adv] The pair earlier in the day praised their countries' increasingly close ties, with Xi saying their "friendship was getting stronger all the time". [custom_adv] This is not Putin and Xi's first foray into batter-based cooking. During a visit to China in June, the Russian leader made a Chinese pancake which Xi tried.
