Vladimir Putin has denied that he deliberately used his pet Labrador to intimidate Angela Merkel at their first meeting in his home in Sochi.
It has long been rumoured that despite being briefed about the German Chancellor’s cynophobia, the fear of dogs, Vladimir Putin deliberately had his pet dog Connie brought into the meeting.
Now the Russian President has dismissed claims that he used his beloved dog to try and unnerve Mrs Merkel during the all-important first meeting between the two heads of state.
‘I did not know anything about that,’ Putin said when challenged about he alleged attempt to try to frighten Mrs Merkel in their first meeting.
‘She is very sincere and highly professional. In any case, I think the level of trust between us is very high,’ he said in an interview with Bild.
The incident became infamous in Germany with claims that that it was part of a power strategy by Putin to gain an advantage in their first meeting back in 2007.
‘The dog does not bother you, does she? She’s a friendly dog and I’m sure she will behave herself,’ Putin reportedly said upon the moment his dog entered the room.
‘No, she doesn’t eat journalists after all,’ Mrs Merkel jokily responded to Mr Putin in his native Russian, perhaps attempting to make light of the situation.
She may have been laughing but photos from the meeting show how hard the German chancellor was trying to hide her fear.
Photos from the meeting show Ms Merkel with a nervous smile as she looked down at the large dog as it walks towards her.
Connie the dog gave the German chancellor a quick sniff before deciding to take a seat next to her.
With her legs crossed and her hands firmly clasped together, Mrs Merkel was a picture of tension as she tried to disguise her longstanding fear of all things canines.
Mr Putin said that Connie, who died aged 15 in 2014, was a friendly dog.
She was a gift from Russia’s current Minister of Defence Sergey Shoigu, back in 2000.