A reliable source in Europe tells a short story about Russian-German diplomacy: Angela Merkel is probably afraid of dogs, Vladimir Putin is aware of this fact. Therefore, every time the president meets with the former chancellor in Moscow, he makes sure that his pet dogs are in the room. Journalist sources confirm the rumors: “The Russian president loves his dogs and seems to have used them to intimidate Merkel in a meeting they held on the subject of negotiations.”
The first case was in January 2006: Putin, who had already met Angela Merkel several times when she was the leader of the Christian Democrats’ opposition, said the meeting between them took place “in a very good atmosphere.” Earlier, the dog-loving president gave Merkel a gift – a small black-and-white dog doll with a short leash. The former chancellor, on the other hand, does not like dogs. She was bitten by one when she was young and has since preferred to keep her distance, according to an acquaintance. German diplomats claimed they did not know how to interpret the message following the wait.
A year later, in January 2007, Putin arrived in the Russian city of Sochi, along with diplomatic reinforcements for a meeting with Merkel on energy supplies. Later, when “Connie”, the Russian president’s black Labrador dog entered the room, Angela remarked nervously, or perhaps under pressure: “Now the dog will eat the journalists.”
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Kremlin critic and journalist Julia Latina said “the friendly meeting in Sochi between Vladimir Putin, Angela Merkel and Labrador Connie’s dog left me completely confused.” Putin apparently replied to the former German chancellor: “I do not think you should be afraid of the dog. He is not doing anything wrong. He does not like journalists at all.”
Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel (Photo: Reuters)
Connie, Russian President Labrador’s dog (Photo: Reuters)