MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Putin congratulated Merkel on the success of the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union in the September 24 elections to the Bundestag and winning the fourth term as a German chancellor, the Kremlin said.
According to the statement, Putin and Merkel also confirmed readiness to continue mutually beneficial cooperation between their countries.
The general elections in Germany were held amid lukewarm relations between Berlin and Moscow. Prior to the vote, Merkel said she did not rule out the possibility of Russian hackers interfering in Germany's federal election. In January, German media reported that the German foreign intelligence agency BND had suspicions that Russia could try to influence the outcome of the elections taking place across Europe this year.
