Merkel and Putin meet in Moscow: What's at stake? | DW News

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is in Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The leaders are expected to discuss Ukraine and bilateral relations amid EU sanctions on Russia but there will be a particular focus on the Middle East. After all, tensions between Iran and the US have been running high this week after the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, and world leaders have also been discussing how to de-escalate the ongoing conflict in Libya. As US US President Donald Trump pulls his country further away, Russia is moving to fill the void. The Soviet Union had strong ties in the Middle East, and Russian president Vladimir Putin has been pushing to cement his country's influence in the region, both by selling weapons to countries on opposite sides of the fault lines and by presenting himself as a mediator in those same conflicts. Russian experts say when it comes to the Middle East, Putin will be in the driver's seat with Merkel. How has Putin's role in the region evolved?