Putin sent Merkel a telegram in honor of her resignation as chancellor. He addressed her on a first-name basis and promised to “continue friendly communication.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to Angela Merkel in connection with her resignation from the post of German chancellor. This was reported on the Kremlin website.

In the telegram, Putin thanked Merkel for "fruitful cooperation and readiness for mutually respectful dialogue" and addressed her as "you."

We were constantly in contact and tried to find ways out of even the most difficult situations. During the years of your tenure at the head of the German government, you have rightfully earned a high prestige in Europe and throughout the world. I am sure that your rich experience as a statesman and politician will always be in demand. And, of course, we will continue our friendly communication.

• On December 8, the new Chancellor Olaf Scholz was sworn in in Germany.
• Merkel has been chancellor for more than 16 years - since November 22, 2005 (since October 26, 2021 she was formally in the status of acting). In terms of the length of her stay in this post in the recent history of Germany, she was only a few days behind the record of Helmut Kohl.