Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday denied using his dog to intimidate former German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a meeting at his Black Sea residence in Sochi in 2007.

Angela Merkel has accused Vladimir Putin of exploiting her fear of dogs as part of his “power games” during a meeting with her at his Black Sea resort. In extracts from her book Freiheit [Freedom], published by German newspaper Die Zeit,

Russian President Vladimir Putin denied on Thursday that he had deliberately used his black labrador Koni to intimidate German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a meeting in 2007 that became a notorious diplomatic incident.

Former German chancellor Angela Merkel, who has a well-documented fear of animals, recalled the tense encounter in her memoir released Tuesday, accusing Putin of inviting the pet as a 'demonstration of power.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied allegations that he intentionally used his black Labrador, Koni, to frighten German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to former German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday, saying that he did not deliberately intend to

Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologized to former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, explaining that he did not intend to scare her by bringing his dog into a meeting in 2007. Merkel recently disclosed the incident in her memoirs.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologized for bringing a dog to his 2007 meeting with ex-German Chancellor Angela Merkel Read Full Article at RTcom

Images from the 2007 meeting show Merkel seated with a nervous smile as the Labrador sniffed around, while Putin appeared at ease. Merkel recounted in her memoir how she tried to remain calm

The German Chancellor's autobiography caught the attention of Russian media; with Putin being asked why he frightened Merkel with a dog during a meeting. Russian President Putin has apologised to Angela Merkel for an incident from 2007.

Vladimir Putin claims he apologized to former German Chancellor Angela Merkel for bringing his Labrador to a meeting in 2007, not knowing about her fear of dogs. "Angela, please forgive me, I did not want to cause you any heartache,