Germany's Merkel to meet Putin in Moscow on Saturday

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will travel to Moscow on Saturday to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin amid growing tensions in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said Monday that the chancellor will discuss "current international questions'' with Putin. Those will include Syria, Libya, Iran, Iraq, Ukraine and bilateral issues.

Seibert said that "Russia is an important player on the world stage and as a permanent member of the (U.N.) Security Council it's indispensable when it comes to solving conflicts in the world.'' Germany is currently a non-permanent member of the Security Council.

Germany and Russia are among the world powers that have been trying to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran after the U.S. withdrew from the agreement unilaterally in 2018.

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas will accompany Merkel to Moscow, Seibert said.