Trump 'fascinated' by dictators, Merkel says in memoirs

US President-elect Donald Trump has a fascination with dictators like Russian President Vladimir Putin, Angela Merkel says in her memoirs, according to excerpts published by Die Zeit newspaper on Thursday.

At their first meeting in Washington in March 2017 after Trump was elected to his first term in the White House, the US leader "asked me a series of questions", Merkel said.

Trump wanted to know about "my East German background and my relationship with Putin. He was clearly very fascinated by the Russian president," she said.

"In the years that followed, I had the impression that has was captivated by politicians with autocratic and dictatorial tendencies."

Merkel's memoir, "Freedom", co-written with her longtime political adviser Beate Baumann, is due to be published simultaneously in 30 languages on Tuesday.

The eagerly anticipated 736-page book is expected to shed new light on Merkel's four terms in office between 2005 and 2021, during which she was the world's most powerful woman.

In the excerpts published by Die Zeit, Merkel said that when she flew home after her first meeting with Trump, she was left with "a bad feeling".

Trump greeted Merkel with a handshake in front of the press but when journalists asked for a second handshake he ignored them, she said.

Merkel whispered to him that they should shake hands again but he did not take the hint.

During their meeting, Trump repeated many of the criticisms he had made of Germany during his election campaign.

"He claimed that I had ruined Germany by taking in so many refugees in 2015 and 2016, accused us of spending too little on defence and criticised us for unfair trade practices," Merkel said.