FILE PHOTO: German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks during the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the "Women's Union" of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Frankfurt, Germany, May 5, 2018. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski

BERLIN (Reuters) - A spokeswoman for the German government on Monday confirmed that Chancellor Angela Merkel would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Russian city of Sochi on May 18 to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The spokeswoman’s confirmation of the meeting came after she had initially denied to confirm or deny during a regular government news conference a report by Russia’s RIA news agency which cited a Kremlin aide as saying Merkel and Putin would meet.