Russian President Vladimir Putin heads to Berlin on Saturday for talks centred on Ukraine, Syria and sanctions. CGTN's Guy Henderson has this report from Germany.

Don't expect breakthroughs warns the German chancellor. But Angela Merkel is also making clear: Saturday's meeting with her Russian counterpart won't be the last discussion.

ANGELA MERKEL GERMAN CHANCELLOR "It's a work meeting from which no specific results are expected, but the number of problems that occupy us - from Ukraine and Syria to the issue of economic cooperation - is so big that it is justified to be in a permanent dialogue."

Berlin appears to be taking its lead from Washington after last month's Helsinki summit.

DONALD TRUMP US PRESIDENT "Our relationship has never been worse than it is now. However, that changed as of about four hours ago."

The Russian foreign minister came to Germany shortly after to prepare the groundwork for talks. And on Tuesday, Sergey Lavrov was in Turkey. In both instances, Syria was a focal point. The rebels are down to their last strongholds now with a final government assault looking increasingly likely. Moscow defends scenes like this: saying the targets are terrorists.

SERGEY LAVROV RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER "The Syrian army has every right to suppress such activity. And we cannot speak here of Russia allowing the Syrian army to do it. Syria's army is on its own soil. It's fighting for the country's independence and against terrorists in full accordance with UN Resolution 2254. And we, Russia, in full accordance with international law, provide assistance to the Syrian army in that effort."

Chancellor Merkel is hardly in a position to resist but there is a talk of a deal.

STEFAN MEISTER GERMAN COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS "Putin needs recognition of a solution with Assad and he needs money to reconstruct Syria. Merkel needs a solution for the migrants to return to Syria. So both have an interest here and I think there could be an agreement - maybe not now - but later a kind of an agreement or a deal where both help each other."

GUY HENDERSON BERLIN "That might help soothe the biggest headache of Angela Merkel's Chancellorship, while handing Vladimir Putin a post-conflict plan for Syria that he might otherwise struggle to afford. But if this is the early stages of a new European approach to Russia, it's also worth remembering its limits, which are that it is a country still on the western sanctions. There is a stage no serious discussion about that changing. Guy Henderson, CGTN, Berlin."