Economics
Merkel's Bavarian Ally Plans Putin Visit in Bid for Global Stage
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Bavaria’s state premier said he plans to visit Russian President Vladimir Putin next year, stepping on German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s foreign-policy turf a day after clashing with her over refugee policy.
Horst Seehofer, whose Christian Social Union party rules Bavaria and is part of Merkel’s governing coalition nationally, is one of the most prominent critics of her open-door stance on asylum seekers. On Russia, he said it’s “realpolitik” to try to involve Putin in tackling global crises.