Russian President Vladimir Putin is to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday to discuss key international issues such as the Syrian conflict, the situation in Ukraine and battling terrorism, as well as bilateral ties between Moscow and Berlin.
The pair is scheduled to hold two rounds of talks in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. They will also discuss economic cooperation and joint projects.
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“The two leaders will discuss the current state and prospects of bilateral relations, including energy, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation,” a Kremlin statement reads.
“They also plan to address key international problems, including the fight against terrorism, the situation in the Middle East and the implementation of the Minsk Agreements on the Ukrainian crisis settlement.”
Putin and Merkel will also talk about the forthcoming G20 summit, which will be held in Hamburg in July.
The timing of the visit is significant, as it comes just ahead of the Victory Day celebrations in Russia on May 9, as well as before parliamentary election in Germany scheduled for September, a senior lecturer from the Russian State University for the Humanities, Vadim Trukhachev, told RT.
“Merkel has complicated relations with Bavarian leader Horst Seehofer, who visited Moscow in March. To gain his support, she had to make some concessions. One of them is mending relations with Russia to a certain degree,” Trukhachev believes.
The visit before Victory Day commemoration may indicate the peaceful intentions from Merkel, he added, stating that “many Germans dislike that Germany gives in to [pressure from] the US too much.”
The last time Merkel visited Russia was on May 10, 2015, in connection with the Victory Day celebrations.
