German Chancellor Angela Merkel is scheduled to head to Moscow next Friday where she will meet President Vladimir Putin, her spokesman said on Friday.
Spokesman Steffen Seibert added that Merkel will visit Ukraine on Sunday, two days later, without providing any further details.
However, Kermlin said in a brief statement that the two leaders would discuss bilateral cooperation in various fields and exchange views on a number of international and regional issues.
After meeting Putin, Merkel will visit Kiev on Aug. 22 to discuss security issues and bilateral relations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Her visit to Moscow would take place just weeks before she is due to leave office following September 26 elections in Germany.
Relations between Germany and Russia have been highly strained by a multitude of issues, including Moscow’s troop build-up on Ukraine’s borders, a series of espionage scandals and the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
Nevertheless, the German Chancellor said in June that the EU should seek direct talks with Putin even as the bloc stands together against “provocations” from Russia.
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