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Putin & Merkel talk Syria, Ukraine as German leader visits Russia after 2-year absence (WATCH LIVE) Russia never interferes in others’ internal politics, yet feels such attempts from outside – Putin
(about 1 hour later)
Russian President Vladimir Putin holds talks with 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. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin says Russia has never interfered in other countries’ political issues, though there have been such attempts towards Russia, he said at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Sochi.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has held talks with 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.
Putin called such attempts “futile” after a German reporter asked whether Chancellor Angela Merkel was worried about the possibility of Russia meddling in her country’s upcoming elections, as it allegedly did during the US elections.
“You have referred to an example that hasn’t been proven by anyone or anything. These are merely rumors that are being used in US political in-fighting,” Putin said.
“We never interfere, either in political life or in the political processes of other countries. We would also like that no one would interfere in Russia’s political life,” Putin said.
“Unfortunately, what we see is precisely the opposite. We have seen attempts to interfere in internal political processes in Russia for a very long time,” he noted, adding that this happens through various NGOs and even directly.
“Realizing how harmful and futile these efforts are, we have never even thought of meddling in the political processes in other countries,” Putin said.
Merkel said that she is “not an anxious person.”
“We know cyber criminality is an international challenge... but we expect that the German election will go ahead unharmed and that we have enough different positions to tackle a range of topics,” she added.
READ MORE: German intel finds no proof of Russian ‘disinformation ops’ against Berlin – govt source
Putin and Merkel are united in the view that there is no need for new agreements aimed at stabilizing the situation in Ukraine, since it would be more practical to wait for results to be achieved by the already-existing Minsk deal and the Normandy format.
“I cannot but agree with Madame Chancellor that we can’t come up with anything new, with an alternative, and we don’t need to be thinking of anything but the Normandy format and the Minsk agreements – as you can’t plan anything new while you have not achieved results on previous ones,” Putin said.
The pair is scheduled to hold two rounds of talks in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
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. Putin and Merkel have also discussed the forthcoming G20 summit, which will be held in Hamburg in July.
“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 are also expected to 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.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.“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 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.The last time Merkel visited Russia was on May 10, 2015, in connection with the Victory Day celebrations.