Peskov said he was perplexed after Merkel's account of meeting Putin's labrador

Russian President Vladimir Putin, as former German Chancellor Angela Merkel claims in her released memoirs, was not trying to "demonstrate strength" when he allowed his Labrador Connie to attend a meeting with her in Sochi in 2007. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this on December 1, adding that such an interpretation by Merkel only causes bewilderment.

"Frankly speaking, these claims of hers, that it was some kind of "demonstration of force" that she did not understand, raise questions. Absolutely bizarre. In Europe, people are free to ride public transportation and go to restaurants with their dogs, and suddenly if it's Putin's dog, it's a demonstration of force. One can only somehow be perplexed by such words of hers," stated the press secretary of the head of state in a conversation with journalist Pavel Zarubiny, a fragment of the interview published in his Telegram channel.

Ot added that the Russian leader met his German counterpart cordially and showed maximum hospitality. And if the Chancellor so appreciated the presence of the Labrador at the meeting, probably the politician was just not as open to dialog as Putin was open to it.

Earlier, on November 28, Putin, speaking to journalists in Astana, repeatedly apologized to the former German chancellor for an incident involving the presence of his dog Connie at a meeting in 2007. The former chancellor wrote in her memoirs that the Russian leader's pet was present in the room when they were photographed, although the German side warned that the politician was afraid of dogs. Putin noted that he did not want to cause Merkel any heartache, but only, on the contrary, wanted to create a favorable atmosphere for a common conversation.

Back in February 2022, Peskov, commenting on the situation, called it awkward and emphasized that it was "not out of malice."

Labrador Connie was Putin's favorite and was often present at meetings at the president's country residences. The pet moved freely around the house, and Putin's guests often gave the dog treats. The dog died in 2014 at the age of 15.