Russian President Putin has apologised to Angela Merkel for an incident from 2007. At that time, he had brought his Labrador to a meeting, disregarding the Chancellor's fear of dogs.
When asked about a chapter in Merkel's memoir titled "Freedom", Putin stated he was unaware "she had a fear of dogs".
Vladimir Putin "Had I known, I would never have done that."
17 years later: Putin asks Merkel for forgiveness
During the meeting between the two heads of state in Sochi 17 years ago, Putin suddenly let his black Labrador into the room. The dog, named "Koni", approached the then German Chancellor to sniff her.
A famous photo from the meeting shows the large black dog in the middle of the room. Merkel, who had been bitten by a dog in her youth, is seen looking at the animal with a concerned expression, while Putin observes the scene with a smile.
Merkel: Putin wanted to demonstrate power through his dog
In her over 740-page memoir, the 70-year-old writes that Putin seemed to enjoy the situation and possibly wanted to demonstrate his power or see her in distress. She adds that Putin and his staff were well aware of her fear of dogs.
Putin now assures - 17 years later - that he wanted to create a "relaxed and pleasant atmosphere". He therefore apologises to Angela and insists that he never meant to cause her any distress.
Putin as a dog lover
Putin owns several dogs and is known to be an animal lover. With this knowledge, the then Chancellor's team had explicitly asked the Kremlin chief not to bring his dog to their meetings.
Accordingly, Putin respected this wish during their very first meeting in Moscow in 2006. Instead, he gave her a diplomatic gift: a black and white stuffed dog. Putin told her that this dog wouldn't bite, and she "put on a brave face", Merkel wrote.
