How good is Russian president Vladimir Putin's German?

Putin is very proficient in German. He was in the KGB, where as Marco North noted, speaking several languages was a required asset. From 1985, he spent the last 5 years of its existence in the former GDR, certainly becoming fluent. read more

Putin would answer his questions in Russian as deemed appropriate for the President but would happily take them in German without an interpreter. [3] This has also been the case on German TV regularly. read more

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (from left) arrive for a news conference in Budapest, Hungary, on February 17, 2015. The Kremlin has long tried to divide and conquer Europe. read more

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for a photograph as Putin’s dog Koni sits in the center. (Mikhail Metzel/AP) read more