German Chancellor Angela Merkel will hold a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 18 in her residence in Meseberg, German Cabinet Spokesperson Steffen Seibert said.
"They will discuss the bilateral agenda, definitely touch upon the topic of the Syrian conflict, which has been a cause for our concern for a long time, as well as the situation in the east of Ukraine and energy issues," Seibert listed.
The parties will also discuss the issues of Russian gas transit via Ukraine after the launch of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. According to Seibert, on Saturday, Russian and German leaders will make statements to the press before the meeting, around 18:00 local time (19:00 Moscow time).
Seibert did not specify the composition of the Russian delegation. He also does not have information about whether there will be any ministerial meetings. Neither did he mention on whose initiative the meeting would take place, TASS reported.
Earlier, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov informed that at the end of the week, Putin would make a foreign visit, without specifying the details.