MOSCOW, July 18. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin defends Russia’s interests but it is possible to discuss disputable matters with him without equivoques, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said in an interview with the Focus magazine published on its website on Tuesday.

Top diplomat says Germany willing to open new chapter in relations with Russia

"He defends Russia’s interests and has his own point of view on the conflict [in Ukraine]," he said, adding that the Russian leader, nevertheless, is a man whom disputable problems can be discussed with clearly and unequivocally. "That is why I appreciate conversations with him," Gabriel noted.

The German top diplomat noted that despite the current differences and problems, it is necessary to try to understand the other’s point of view, which may not mean to accept or justify it.

Sigmar Gabriel took his current office on January 27, 2017 and has met the Russian president three times ever since.