Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev says he will relay a conversation he had with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Gorbachev spoke in Moscow on November 21 at a presentation of his new book, "After The Kremlin."
He said he and his daughter, Irina, had an "informative" talk with Merkel during November 7-9 celebrations marking 25 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
"We had a very interesting conversation, but I am saving everything for our president," Gorbachev said.
He called Merkel "a very responsible politician," suggesting Putin should listen to what she has to say.
Ties between Russia and the West are severely strained over Moscow's annexation of Crimea and support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier met Putin in Moscow on November 18 after talks in Kyiv, but his trip did not produce a breakthrough.