President Putin publicly apologizes to former German Chancellor Merkel over the dog incident

"I didn't know that she was afraid of dogs," President Putin said of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a press conference in Kazakhstan's capital Astana on November 28, according to AFP.

"I once again addressed her through the media and said: Angela, forgive me, I do not want to cause you any pain. On the contrary, I want to create a favorable atmosphere for our conversation," Putin added.

"If you... come back, I will not do it under any circumstances," Putin said. There is no immediate word on how Merkel, who served as German chancellor from 2005 to 2021, will react.

Images from a 2007 meeting between Mr Putin and Ms Merkel in the Russian city of Sochi show Mr Putin's black Labrador named Koni sniffing around while Ms Merkel sits in her chair, smiling nervously.

In her memoirs, former Chancellor Merkel described the incident as a challenge. "I tried to ignore the dog, even though it was moving almost right next to me. I understood from Putin's facial expression that he was enjoying the situation," Merkel wrote.

"He just wanted to see how a person reacts in an accident? Was it a small show of strength? I just thought: stay calm, focus on the photographers, everything will pass," Merkel wrote.

Mr Putin is said to be a dog lover and has received several from visiting officials. He received Konni as a gift from Sergei Shoigu, who later became Russia's defence minister, according to AFP.