German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Russia on Sunday for talks with President Vladimir Putin expected to focus on securing guarantees for energy supplies to the European Union, a Kremlin official said.
The leaders were to meet at the Black Sea resort of Sochi following an oil dispute between Russia and Belarus this month that hampered supplies to western Europe and further eroded trust in Moscow as an energy partners.
The European Union depends on Russia for a quarter of its energy needs. During the oil row, Merkel criticised Moscow's sudden suspension of oil deliveries through Belarus, saying: "That repeatedly destroys confidence and you cannot build cooperation based on true mutual trust in this way."
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov said earlier that the dispute, which came a year after a similar gas price dispute between Russia and Ukraine disrupted natural gas supplies across Europe, had dented Russia's image.
Merkel and Putin were also expected to discuss the Middle East peace process, international diplomatic efforts over Iran's nuclear ambitions and EU-Russia ties, officials said.
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