ASTANA, November 28. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected claims by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel that he intentionally tried to "frighten" her with his labrador during their meeting.

"Frankly speaking, and I have already told Merkel this - I didn't know she was afraid of dogs. Had I known, I would never have done that. On the contrary, I wanted to create a casual, friendly atmosphere. <...> I found out that she was afraid of dogs only after the fact. It happens," Putin pointed out, answering questions from reporters.

"We are talking now, all of this will be in the media, so I’d like to address her once more: Angela, please forgive me, I didn't want to cause you any distress. On the contrary, I wanted to create a positive atmosphere for our conversation. I apologize. If you ever come again - though I understand it’s unlikely, but still - I won't do that again."