On last visit to Russia as Germany’s leader, Angela Merkel defends dialogue with Vladimir Putin | Globalism

The flight takes place exactly one year after the poisoning of the opponent attributed to the Russian authorities Alexei Navalny, who was treated and treated in Germany, but returned to Russia, where he was arrested.

Below is a video clip from July when Merkel met Joe Biden from the United States.

• Angela Merkel almost took a nap while talking about Covid to citizens in an online meeting
• Alexei Navalny, the main opponent of Vladimir Putin in Russia, has been transferred from prison to hospital

After depositing offerings of flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow, German President Vladimir Putin greeted himself at the headquarters of the Russian government, who was waiting for her with a bouquet of flowers.

“Although there are deep differences, we have spoken,” said Merkel, who has maintained a complex and ambiguous relationship with the Russian president. It must remain that way.

Merkel said there are many issues to be addressed during the meeting, such as the situation in Afghanistan or bilateral relations, but she did not mention the Navalny issue.

Putin said it was not just a farewell visit, but a “serious” meeting between two veterans of European politics, because “many issues must be discussed.”

Merkel, who speaks Russian and was raised in East Germany, and Putin, who has spoken German since his years of service with the KGB in East Germany, have always claimed to have established a genuine working relationship despite their differences.

Since 2005, when the chancellor came to power, they have argued fiercely or cynically on many issues, from Syria to Ukraine to Belarus, cyber attacks that Berlin attributed to Moscow or the poisoning of Navalny.

However, the dialogue between these two veterans has not been completely interrupted on the international stage.

Talks about Afghanistan

Russia and Germany maintain different positions on Afghanistan.

Merkel described the situation as “bitter, dramatic and terrible”. The head of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, said on Tuesday that The Taliban sent ‘positive’ signals about freedom of opinion.

On this twentieth official trip to Russia, Merkel ended the relationship by discovering failure on an issue she had identified as a priority: Resolving the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which reached an impasse.

On Sunday, the German chancellor will travel to Kiev, where she will meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

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