Merkel, Putin to discuss G20, Syria, Ukraine in Sochi on Tuesday

FILE PHOTO: German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomes Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, October 19, 2016. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi next Tuesday to prepare the upcoming G20 summit in July and discuss geopolitical conflicts in Syria and Ukraine, a German government spokesman said on Friday.

"The visit serves the preparation of this year's G20 summit in Hamburg," Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said during a regular news conference.

"In addition to the G20 issue, other current foreign policy challenges will also be discussed, such as the Ukraine conflict or the war in Syria," he added.

Seibert said that Merkel and Putin would give a press conference between two rounds of meetings in Sochi.

(Reporting by Michael Nienaber; Editing by Victoria Bryan)