Incident 17 years ago

Putin apologizes to Merkel for dog

In 2007, photos of Angela Merkel and Vladimir Putin with his dog became famous.(Bild: DMITRY ASTAKHOV / ITAR-TASS / AFP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologized to Germany's former Chancellor Angela Merkel for bringing a dog to a meeting. In 2007, he had brought a black Labrador with him (see video above) - allegedly without knowing that Merkel was "afraid of dogs".

Putin gave this assurance on Thursday when he was asked about a passage in the former chancellor's published memoirs. "If I had known, I would never have done that." At the meeting between the two in Sochi, southern Russia, 17 years ago, the Russian president suddenly let his black Labrador "Koni" into the room. He ran up to Merkel to sniff her.

A photo showing the big black dog in the middle of a room became famous. In the picture, the former politician looks anxiously at the animal, while Putin observes the scene with a smile. According to Merkel herself, she was once bitten by a dog.

Here you can see a few photos from the meeting.

(Bild: DMITRY ASTAKHOV / ITAR-TASS / AFP)

(Bild: DMITRY ASTAKHOV / ITAR-TASS / AFP)

(Bild: DMITRY ASTAKHOV / ITAR-TASS / AFP)

Relaxation vs. distress
In her memoirs, she wrote that the Russian ruler had "taken a liking to the situation" and may have wanted to demonstrate his power or see her in distress. He was well aware that she was afraid of dogs. In addition, her team had asked the Kremlin that the four-legged friend not be present at the meeting, said the German. At their first meeting in Moscow in 2006, this request had been respected. Instead, Putin had given her a black and white stuffed dog, which, according to him, does not bite.

17 years after the incident, Putin said that he wanted to create a "relaxed and pleasant atmosphere". "I turn to her again: Angela, sorry, I didn't mean to cause you any grief." The Russian president is known to love animals.