"Some issues related to overcoming negative trends on global financial markets were touched upon," the statement said.
The conversation took place at Berlin's initiative.
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The situation in Syria, Ukraine
"The sides discussed some issues related to Syrian settlement. The Russian president informed [Merkel] about the Russia-Turkey arrangements to stabilize the situation in Idlib de-escalation zone, reached at the talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on September 18 in Sochi," the statement said.
"The sides confirmed mutual commitment to promoting the settlement of Ukrainian conflict, including within the Normandy format," the press service added.
Russia-Turkey Agreements on Syria's Idlib
Vladimir Putin informed Angela Merkel about Russian-Turkish agreements on stabilization in the Idlib de-escalation zone in Syria, the Kremlin's press service said.
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"Issues of the Syrian settlement were discussed, and the Russian president informed [Merkel] about the Russian-Turkish agreements on stabilization in the Idlib de-escalation zone, reached at the talks with Turkish President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan in Sochi on September 17," it said.
Putin and Erdogan on Monday agreed in Sochi to create by October 15 a demilitarized zone along the contact line of the armed opposition and government troops in the Syrian province of Idlib, and the defense ministers of the two countries signed a memorandum on stabilizing the situation in the Idlib de-escalation zone.
Situation After DPR Head Murder
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed concern to German Chancellor Angela Merkel about the situation that resulted from the murder of the head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), Alexander Zakharchenko.
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"Vladimir Putin expressed his concern about the situation that resulted from the assassination of DPR head Zakharchenko. He again stressed the need for the complete implementation of the 2015 Minsk Package of Measures, including registering the region's special status legislatively by Kiev," it said.
Zakharchenko was killed in a bomb blast at the Separ cafe in downtown Donetsk on August 31. DPR Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Timofeev, who accompanied Zakharchenko, is in serious condition in a hospital.
