“I tried to ignore the dog”

“I tried to ignore the dog, even though it was moving more or less right next to me. I interpreted Putin’s facial expressions as a sign that he was enjoying the situation,” he said. she writes.

“Did he just want to see how a person reacts in distress? Was it a little show of power? I just said to myself: stay calm, focus on the photographers, it will pass”, we can read.

Putin says he ignores Merkel’s fears and apologizes

Addressing the incident at a news conference on Thursday, Putin denied knowledge of Merkel’s fear of dogs.

He said: “Frankly, I already told Merkel, I didn’t know she was afraid of dogs. If I had known, I would never have done it.”

He further apologized to Merkel and assured her that if she were to visit him again, he “absolutely would not.”

Merkel’s memoir recounts other interactions with Putin

Merkel’s memoir also details other encounters, including Putin’s remarks about wooden houses in Siberia and how the poor people living there “could be easily seduced.”

Merkel said she was angered by Putin’s “self-righteousness” in a speech in Munich in 2007, in which he rejected previous attempts to strengthen ties with the United States.

She said this appearance showed Putin “as someone who was always on guard to avoid being mistreated and ready to give in at any time, including in power games.”