Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel on August 20 in Moscow, the Kremlin announced on Friday.

According to reports, the leaders will discuss bilateral cooperation in various fields and exchange views on a number of international and regional issues, it said in a brief statement.The talks will take place at a time when the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline, the flagship energy project between Russia and Germany, is about to be completed despite opposition from the United States.

After meeting Putin, Merkel will visit Kiev on August 22 to discuss security issues and bilateral relations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Earlier on June end, German Chancellor Angela Merkel defended the idea of holding a European Union meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, arguing it would offer an opportunity to confront Putin with European concerns. The European Union is concerned that Putin is turning increasingly authoritarian and wants to distance himself from the West. Both European Union and the NATO military alliance are struggling to bring Russia back to the table.

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