Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that she did not think that Russian President Vladimir Putin lied to her at first - but later, in connection with the annexation of Crimea, he did.
Merkel made the comments in an interview with CNN broadcast on Tuesday, during which reporter Christiane Amanpour asked her how she was able to negotiate with someone she called a "reckless liar."
The former chancellor said that at the beginning of his mandate, which began in 2005, Putin "did not tell these reckless lies."
"But later, regarding Crimea, he admitted that he lied." After that, she had to be very careful with him. In 2014, Putin annexed Crimea.
Merkel is currently promoting her recently published memoir Freedom: Memories 1954–2021 and appearing in television interviews, including one with former US President Barack Obama in Washington.
In the book, she describes how Putin knew about her fear of dogs, but during a meeting in 2007 he deliberately brought his labrador into the room to upset her.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin brought the dog to create a "pleasant atmosphere".
In the conversation with Amanpurova, the former chancellor emphasized that it is unlikely that Putin did not know about her fear of dogs. Basically, she said, it was a power play.
"I survived. The dog didn't bite me," she said.
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