Putin to discuss with Merkel crisis in Syria, Ukraine

MOSCOW, Aug 18: Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel outside Berlin on Saturday to discuss the Syrian and Ukrainian crises, as well as issues regarding bilateral cooperation.

Before the talks, which will take place at the chancellor's official retreat, Schloss Meseberg, Putin and Merkel are expected to outline the scope of issues that will be raised at the summit and make press statements.

The leaders will focus on the Ukrainian crisis, since both Russia and Germany were already cooperating within the Normandy Four settlement format alongside Ukraine and France.

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In preparation for the meeting, the Russian president has discussed the situations in Syria and Ukraine with permanent members of Russia's Security Council.

"The number of problems we deal with, from Ukraine to Syria, the issue of our cooperation in the economic sector is so diverse that it justifies a constant dialogue," Merkel told a press conference, noting that she wanted to continue this dialogue during her talks with Putin.

Putin and Merkel will also exchange views on a possible summit on the Syrian crisis between Germany, France, Russia and Turkey. According to the Kremlin, the leaders are unlikely to touch upon the issue of possible financial support for Turkey, which currently hosts a large number of displaced Syrian nationals.

"I do not think that this will be mentioned in any way, this should be discussed with Turkey. How could this be discussed without Turkey?" Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday when asked whether Putin and Merkel could talk about possible financial support for Turkey at their meeting.

The US and EU sanctions against Russia may also be discussed, as well as the US sanctions on Iran, which both Moscow and Berlin opposed as parties to the Iran nuclear deal.