She then had to exercise great caution with the Russian leader, the former chancellor confirmed during the interview, conducted in German.
When Merkel “interpreted Putin’s facial expressions” who had just put her in an embarrassing situation
Vladimir Putin carried out the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Angela Merkel is promoting her book collecting her memoirs from 1954 to 2021, and in this context has made appearances in television interviews, notably with former US President Barack Obama in Washington.
In her book, Ms. Merkel describes how Vladimir Putin knew she was afraid of dogs, and deliberately brought her labrador into the room to unnerve her.
A Kremlin spokeswoman says Mr. Putin was only seeking to establish a comfortable atmosphere with the presence of a pet in the negotiating room.
In her conversation with Ms Amanpour, the former chancellor stressed that it was unlikely that Vladimir Putin was unaware of her fear of dogs. He sees the anecdote as essentially “a power play” at the time. “I survived. The dog didn’t bite me. So let’s leave it as it is.”
