The aide also confirmed that Putin and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will hold talks in Vladivostok in Russia's Far East on Friday, on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum meeting.

The meeting with the public schoolboys came ahead of Putin's first encounter with new British leader Theresa May at the G20 in China - with both sides saying they are interested in improving the dire relations between their two countries. The pictures show some of the boys wearing official Eton ties.

"Nothing has changed about our view that it's still not time for "business-of-usual" with Russian Federation across a wide variety of sectors given the concerns that we still have about their actions in Ukraine, the occupation of Crimea and the tensions that still exist", Kirby added.

"They didn't tell anyone they were going".

"They went last week, I'm not sure on the details entirely, I don't know who paid for the flights out there", they added.

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That would match the amount Paris Saint-Germain paid Chelsea for David Luiz, now the most expensive defender in the world. The Senegalese forward became the fifth player to join Liverpool from the south coast club in the last two years.

In a statement, Eton college said: "This was a private visit by a small group of boys organised entirely at their own initiative and independently of the college".

They added: "From what I understand, they were talking to him [Putin] about Eton because he had a keen interest in the college, mainly due to previous politicians in the United Kingdom who had attended".

The boys didn't appear to have signed any confidentiality agreements barring them from discussing the meeting - as they have been gushing about it since on social media.

No Normandy Four meeting is expected to take place at the G20 summit in China.