Angela Merkel asks Vladimir Putin to free jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to free his political opponent Alexei Navalny from prison on the anniversary of the opposition leader's poisoning.

Merkel urged Putin after talks in Moscow on Friday to release Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and to extend a gas transit deal with Ukraine that expires in 2024.

"I have demanded once again from the president to release Navalny and I have made it clear that we will remain on the case. We also spoke about the transit deal with Ukraine, which could and should be extended beyond 2024," Merkel told reporters in capital Moscow.