Outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel meets with Vladimir Putin in Moscow
Guido Bergmann / EPA / Scanpix / LETA German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, August 20. In all likelihood, this will be her last visit to Russia as head of government — Germany is set to hold elections in September, and Merkel isn’t running for re-election. The talks between Merkel and Putin are taking place on the first anniversary of Alexey Navalny’s poisoning. On the eve of the meeting, Russia’s Foreign Ministry released a lengthy statement denying accusations of the Russian authorities’ involvement in the attempt on the opposition politician’s life. The Russian Foreign Ministry claimed that with regard to the “Navalny case” Berlin was “having a laugh” at Moscow’s expense and accused Germany of carrying out a provocation against Russia.
