St Petersburg - The fate of the embattled NTV television station will be discussed at a Russia-Germany summit but "will not be central", the German Chancellor, Mr Gerhard Schroder, said yesterday as he arrived for talks with President Putin.
Mr Schroder is to meet Mr Putin for two days of wide-ranging talks that risk being overshadowed by the uncertain future of independent broadcasting in Russia.
Meanwhile, Mr Putin said the long-running struggle for control of the independent channel should be resolved by Russia's Supreme Court, according to former Soviet president, Mr Mikhail Gorbachev, after a meeting with Mr Putin in the Kremlin.
The NTV network, Russia's last independent nationwide news provider, is currently fighting a takeover attempt by Gazprom, the state-controlled gas giant, which last week imposed new management in what the station's staff sees as a boardroom coup.
Mr Schroder said the Saint Petersburg talks would be devoted in part "to the creation of a civil society in Russia, and therefore NTV would be on the agenda", Interfax reported.