TO Sometimes, the most curious details tell much more than diplomatic relations than official documents do. Angela Merkelguest of What’s the weather like? to promote his autobiography Freedomrecalled an emblematic episode of his relationships with Vladimir Putin: the day the Russian president brought his dogalthough it was well known that the German chancellor had fear of these animals. An episode that, among humor And voltagesheds particular light on the dynamics between two of the most influential leaders of recent decades.
Putin’s dog and Angela Merkel’s fear
In the 2006during a visit to KremlinAngela Merkel had let the Russian president’s collaborators know that she had been bitten by a dog in the past and therefore had an understandable aversion to these animals. Vladimir Putin, apparently wittygave her a large one on that occasion stuffed dog with a joke: «I’m giving you this because it doesn’t bite». But the following year, the scene changed dramatically. During a meeting in the private residence of Sochi, the Russian president showed up accompanied by his Labrador retrieverKoni, leaving Merkel visibly uncomfortable.
“I don’t think he had forgotten what I had told him just a year earlier” Merkel wrote in her autobiography, interpreting the episode as a «demonstration of power» deliberate. In videos from that day, Koni calmly wanders around the room as the chancellor appears rigid in his armchair, between forced smiles. «Putin’s expression clearly said (at least to me) that he found the situation fun» he added.
Putin’s (hardly credible) apology
Years later, Vladimir Putin he took a step back, asking publicly Excuse me to Angela Merkel for that gesture. During a press conference ad Astanain Kazakhstanthe Russian president declared: «Angela, please, Excuse me. I didn’t mean to cause you any unease. On the contrary, I wanted to create a relaxed atmosphere for our conversation.”
Despite the apologiesMerkel’s narrative suggests that the gesture was anything but random. Putin, declared lover of dogshas received numerous specimens as gifts from foreign leaders, including the Labradors in question, given to him by Sergei Shoiguformer Minister of Defense and one of his most loyal collaborators.
A complex relationship
The episode of Putin’s dog has become emblematic of the complex and often relationship ambivalent between the two leaders. As Merkel points out in her book, the freedom implies not only the right to be independent, but also the ability to cope with courage uncomfortable situations. And on that occasion, the chancellor did not let herself be overwhelmed, maintaining her proverbial position composure.
Freedompublished in Italy by Rizzoli, tells not only the political career of one of the most influential figures of our time, but also the episodes private that marked his path. Among these, the day when a dog became a symbol of one diplomatic match played on the edge of tension.
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