German Chancellor Angela Merkel To Visit Russia Next Week: Spokesman

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit comes just weeks before she is due to leave office following September 26 elections in Germany.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will head to Moscow next Friday before visiting Ukraine two days later, her spokesman said, without giving further details on the trips. Spokesman Steffen Seibert said details on her programme and reasons for the visits will be provided next week. Merkel's August 20 visit to Moscow would take place just weeks before she is due to leave office following September 26 elections in Germany. It would also be her first to the Russian capital since January 2020.