Vladimir Putin denies claims that he stole a Super Bowl ring

Vladimr Putin might be just up the road in Enniskillen, but the biggest story about him in the last few days is from across the water in America

While Vladimir Putin has been facing a lot of questions about some very serious issues at the G8 summit, he's had to take some time out to deny claims that he stole a diamond-encrusted Super Bowl ring worth $25,000 (around €18,700) According to the New York Post, apparently the New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft stated at a gala event last Thursday that he took out the ring to show it to Putin when meeting him in St. Petersburg eight years ago, who promptly put it on, said "I could kill someone with this ring", and then pocketed it. Kraft spoke to the White House about the incident, but was apparently told that he should leave it be in the interest of US-Russian relations, but it seems that he now wants the wing back, as he feels a strong "emotional tie" to the ring.

The ring is currently on display in the Kremlin library in Moscow and according to The Independent, Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson for Putin, says that he saw that Kraft presented the ring to Putin back in 2005, but that the Russian President is happy to buy him another ring with his own money. If nothing else, apparently the Patriots are getting a few new supporters over in Russia as a result of all the hullabaloo, but there's no word on whether Putin himself has become a Pats fan.