Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologized to former German Chancellor Angela Merkel over a 2007 diplomatic incident involving his pet Labrador, Koni.
Merkel, who has a well-documented fear of dogs, said in her latest memoir that Putin scared her with his pet dog despite knowing she was afraid of dogs.
What Did Putin Say?
Addressing the incident at a press conference in Astana, Putin denied knowing about Merkel’s phobia at the time.
“If I’d known, I would never have done it,” he insisted.
“Angela, please forgive me. I meant no harm.”
“Angela, please forgive me, I did not want to cause you any heartache.”
“On the contrary, I wanted to create a favorable atmosphere for our conversation,” Putin said.
Putin’s Show of Power
Merkel revisited the tense moment in her newly released memoir, Freedom, suggesting Putin brought the dog to their meeting as a show of power.
During their meeting in 2007, Koni roamed freely as he approached visibly uncomfortable Merkel.
