Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has described Donald Trump as "fascinated by Putin" in her new memoir.
According to foreign media, in her book 'Freedom', Merkel wrote about the president-elect: "He was obviously very fascinated by the Russian president".
"In the years that followed, I had the impression that politicians with autocratic and dictatorial traits amazed him," writes Merkel.
She also described Vladimir Putin as someone who was "always on guard to avoid bad treatment" and "always ready for power games with dogs and making others wait".
"You may find all this childish, reprehensible. You may shake your head at it. But it didn't take Russia off the map," Merkel said.
Putin once took his black labrador 'Koni' to a meeting with the then German chancellor, who is afraid of dogs.
She also said the Kremlin leader "was not interested in building democratic structures or prosperity for a well-functioning economy in his country or elsewhere."
"On the contrary, he wanted to dispute the fact that the US had emerged victorious from the Cold War."
"He wanted Russia to remain an indispensable pole in a multipolar world after the end of the Cold War. To achieve this, he relied heavily on his experience in the security services."