Merkel and Putin tackle tough topics in meeting outside Berlin
The German and Russian leaders discussed a range of issues, including Ukraine, Syria, Iran and a gas pipeline project that has angered the US
Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel met outside Berlin on Saturday for talks ranging from the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, to Iran and a gas pipeline project that has drawn US ire.
Standing beside Putin, Merkel said both countries – but especially Russia as a permanent member of the UN Security Council – had a responsibility to tackle these problems.
She said she planned to raise human rights issues with Putin, and discuss bilateral relations, strained since Russia’s annexation of the Crimea region of Ukraine in 2014.
“I am of the opinion that controversial issues can only be addressed in dialogue and through dialogue,” she said.
Both leaders raised concerns about Syria and the plight of the many refugees created by the seven-year-old war there.