May 2 (UPI) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to discuss Ukraine and Syria, the Kremlin said.
The one-day discussion at Putin's summer residence in Sochi comes as relations between the two countries remain slowed by Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and Germany's leadership role in organizing European Union economic sanctions in response. Merkel also seeks an end to the Ukraine conflict and a peace deal in Syria, each requiring the cooperation of Russia, and the sanctions will only be lifted with German support.