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On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin disputed that he intentionally intimidated German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a 2007 encounter that turned into a well-known diplomatic controversy by using his black labrador, Koni.

Knowing that Putin occasionally brought the pet to meetings with foreign guests, Merkel said in her new memoir “Freedom” that she had requested an aide the year before to beg Putin’s crew not to bring out Koni in her company since she was frightened of dogs.

She claimed that when they met in Moscow in 2006, Putin complied with her request but gave her a big plush dog and insisted it didn’t bite. However, during the meeting in Sochi the following year, the big dog explored the room and approached Merkel directly while the chancellor, clearly uneasy, sat next to Putin in front of TV cameras and photographers.

In response to questions about Thursday’s event, Putin said he had later apologized to Merkel and denied knowing about her fear.
“To be honest, I’ve previously told Merkel that I was unaware of her dog phobia. I wouldn’t have done that if I had known. At a press conference, he stated, “On the contrary, I wanted to create a relaxed, pleasant atmosphere.

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