Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel presented it autobiography ‘Freiheit’ (Freedom) in which he recounts his memories, both revealing and disturbing. Just read it to understand why he deserves this nickname “the European iron lady”. Precisely, to confront the fears of already twisted men like Vladimir Putin, who tried to exploit his phobia of dogs during their meeting in Sochi in 2007.
Merkel accuses him of use “fear diplomacy”and not without reason. Before this meeting, the German team had warned Moscow that it had since suffered from a phobia of dogs. in 1995 I bit him. However, without hesitation, Putin came to the meeting with a black Labrador. “I intended to send signals to the world. Show how a person in difficulty reacts? A small demonstration of power? I only thought about not losing my temper and I limited myself to using the rule of the English aristocracy: “Never explain, never complain,” he writes in his book.
However, this is not the first time that the Russian leader has tried to exploit his fear. Months earlier, he had allowed himself the luxury of spending a bad taste joke give him a stuffed dog with a message: “This one doesn’t bite”.
Merkel also speaks in her book of the “great tragedy of Ukraine” and says he does not regret having blocked its entry into NATO in 2008. This, as he explains, would have been an explosive provocation for Putin, who had already “showed his paw” like a wolf with the intention of perpetuating himself in power, whatever his Constitution said. Likewise, he warned against his intention to “destroy Europe”.
