Vladimir Putin congratulated Angela Merkel on her birthday.
The two leaders discussed some aspects of bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine.
The President of Russia earlier sent Angela Merkel a message of greetings in connection with her 60th birthday. He referred to Ms Merkel as a reputable European leader under whose leadership Germany has made great progress in the social, economic and political spheres.
In addition, Vladimir Putin noted that he highly values the trust-based relations between them that make it possible to efficiently address issues of Russian-German partnership and stressed that the high level of cooperation that Russia and Germany have reached is their common achievement that should be preserved with care. The President of Russia also stressed that the further development of bilateral ties regardless of the political situation serves the interests of both nations.