Putin's canine diplomacy: Merkel recounts 2007 incident

Many of the pieces of information provided by Russian state media or Kremlin officials are likely not true. Such reports may be part of an information war by the Russian Federation.

On Thursday, during a press conference in the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana, Putin recalled the incident from 16 years ago when he brought his pet to a meeting with Merkel. In her autobiography published on Tuesday, the former chancellor accused Putin of a "demonstration of power" and taking satisfaction from her discomfort.

"I did not know that she was afraid of dogs," Putin reportedly commented, as quoted by "The Moscow Times".

Merkel, among other topics, described Putin in the book: "He was not interested in building democratic structures or prosperity for all through a well-functioning economy, either in his country or elsewhere. He wanted Russia to be an indispensable pole in a multipolar world after the end of the Cold War. To achieve this, he drew primarily on his experience in the field of intelligence services," she wrote.

In 2007, during a meeting in Sochi, Putin's black Labrador, Konni, sniffed around Merkel, who sat on a chair and smiled nervously.

In her autobiography, Merkel wrote: "I could tell from Putin's facial expressions that he was enjoying the situation."

When asked about this situation, Putin denied being aware of Merkel's phobia and stated that he later apologised to her.

"I once again appeal to her via the media and say: ‘Angela, please forgive me, I did not want to cause you any heartache.’ On the contrary, I wanted to create a favourable atmosphere for our conversation," the dictator asserted during the conference.

Putin added: "If you ever – I realise it is unlikely – come again, I will not do it under any circumstances."

Putin is known for his love of dogs and often receives them as gifts from visiting dignitaries. Konni was a gift from Sergei Shoigu, who later became the Russian defence minister.