German Chancellor Angela Merkel to meet Russian President Putin today

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet President Vladimir Putin today in the Black Sea resort of Sochi in her first visit to Russia since 2015, signalling renewed dialogue between Berlin and Moscow.

The Russian and German leaders have scaled back links as Moscow's ties with the EU have plunged to a post-Cold War low.Merkel has strongly backed EU sanctions on Moscow for seizing Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and backing the pro-Russian separatist



insurgency in the east of the country.

Moscow has responded with an embargo on agricultural products from the West. Merkel's visit to Russia comes after Putin called for the countries' relations to fully normalise, while meeting German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel in March. 

Berlin and Moscow said today's talks agenda includes preparations for July's G20 summit in Germany as well as Ukraine and Syria.