What issues did Putin and Merkel discuss?

Putin met with Merkel in Sochi and the two sides discussed Syria and other issues.

On June 5, 2008, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Sochi.

During the talks, the two sides discussed the Syrian situation, Russian-European relations and the withdrawal of the United States from the Iranian nuclear deal.

Merkel visited Putin and was greeted by flowers.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Sochi, Russia on 18. Upon arrival, she immediately met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In order to show the friendship between the two countries, Putin, who was waiting at the door, also presented a bunch of flowers to Merkel.

Merkel's visit is to ease Russia-Europe relations.

The main purpose of Merkel's trip is to ease the tense Russian-European relations in recent years. Against the background of the current rift between the United States and Europe due to Iran's nuclear agreement and trade issues, her trip has attracted much attention.

The two discussed international hot issues.

At the joint press conference after the meeting, Putin said that the meeting with Merkel was timely and beneficial. When talking about the situation in Syria, Putin said that if Europe wants refugees in exile there to return home, it should help Syria revive its economy and provide Syria with a lot of humanitarian assistance, and these issues should be depoliticized.

Merkel said that friendship with Russia is in Germany's interest.

Merkel hopes that Russia will exert influence on the Syrian government and urge them not to create difficulties for refugees to return home. She also said that maintaining good relations with Russia is in Germany's strategic interest.

Both Russia and Germany support the maintenance of the Iranian nuclear agreement.

Regarding the withdrawal of the United States from the Iranian nuclear agreement, Merkel said that both Germany and Russia support this agreement and hope that Iran will remain within the framework of the agreement. Although this agreement is not perfect, it is better than nothing. At the same time, the EU also agrees that negotiations on Iran's ballistic missile program are needed in the future.

Putin: The "Beixi 2" project has nothing to do with politics.

Putin and Merkel also focused on the "Nord Stream 2" natural gas pipeline construction project. Putin said that this pipeline is a purely commercial project and has nothing to do with politics-he rarely directly named US President Trump.

When asked about the "Beixi 2" natural gas pipeline construction project, Putin said that the construction of the project is entirely from an economic point of view and there is no political factor. He also said that "Nord Stream 2" is not a substitute for Ukraine's natural gas pipeline, and even after the completion of "Nord Stream 2", the natural gas pipeline supplying gas to Europe through Ukraine can still continue to operate.

The United States interferes with Russian energy projects Putin and Trump.

Last year, Gazprom signed agreements with many energy companies in France, the Netherlands, Austria and Germany to promote this project.

The Trump administration has repeatedly warned that companies involved in the construction of the project may face US sanctions. In this regard, Putin's response is a bit rude.

Russian President Vladimir Putin: He (Trump) is not only the president of the United States, but also a shrewd entrepreneur. I think he wants to profit from his own business and sell American LNG to the European market. Is this possible? Yes, it is possible, but it will be expensive.

Reuters described Putin's comments on Trump as "unusually straightforward" because although Putin criticized American policy, he always respected Trump himself. In the words of Russian officials, Putin and Trump have established a "good personal relationship".

Some commentators also pointed out that Russia and Europe oppose the Trump administration's policies on the Iranian nuclear agreement and other issues, which may lead to reconciliation between Russia and Europe. The "Beixi 2" project concerns the common interests of Russia and Europe, especially Germany, and also provides an opportunity to repair the seriously damaged Russian-European relations after the Ukrainian crisis.

Source: CCTV news client