The Kremlin said the two leaders will review the state of relations and discuss regional and international issues. Meanwhile, German government spokesman, Steffen Seibert, indicated that Afghanistan, Ukraine and Belarus will be on the meeting table.
Speaking to TASS news agency, German political scientist Alexander Rahr said that during the talks the CEO in Berlin will try to create conditions for resolving the situation in eastern Ukraine.
“I think he wants to end his leadership with a positive step towards Russia,” he said. In his opinion, German policy “wants to put the dots on the i in its relations with Russia, as well as to create a bridge through which its political heir will go and work with Moscow.”
He noted that the German chancellor intends to “save the Minsk agreements” approved by the rulers of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany in 2015 to find a political solution to the clashes in the Donbass region.
This is the second time that Merkel has traveled to Moscow in less than two years, although this time she did so within weeks of handing over the post.
The previous meeting was in January 2020, then they discussed the conflicts in Ukraine, Libya and Syria, and the conflict between the United States and Iran.
According to German media, another topic of conversation this Friday will be the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which is nearing completion and connects Russia and Germany along the bottom of the Baltic Sea, which was widely rejected by Washington and Kiev.
After her visit to the capital, the German prime minister will visit Ukraine on the 22nd, her spokesman Stephen Seibert said.
order / mml
“Award-winning alcohol trailblazer. Hipster-friendly internetaholic. Twitter ninja. Infuriatingly humble beer lover. Pop culture nerd.”