Putin calls United States a major partner but objects to U.S. criticism

President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russia wants good relations with the United States, but he objected vigorously to U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's recent criticism that Moscow was backtracking on democracy and using energy to blackmail neighbors.

Photo: Putin calls United States a major partner but objects to U.S. criticism

Putin calls United States a major partner but objects to U.S. criticism

"We see how the United States defends its interests, we see what methods and means they use for this," Putin said at a press conference following the Russia-European Union summit, responding to a reporter's request for his reaction to Cheney.

In a speech earlier this month in neighboring Lithuania, Cheney accused Putin's Kremlin of rolling back democracy and strong-arming its ex-Soviet neighbors.

"When we fight for our interests, we also look for the most acceptable methods to accomplish our national tasks, and I find it strange that this seems inexplicable to someone," Putin said.

Even before Cheney's speech, Russian-U.S. relations had been on a steady downward slide. Last month, Putin claimed the United States had put up artificial obstacles to slow Russia's entry into the World Trade Organization, and the Pentagon accused Moscow of passing intelligence on U.S. troop movements in Iraq to Saddam Hussein in 2003.

The crisis around Iran's nuclear program has seen the two countries, which proclaimed themselves "strategic partners" just a few years ago, firmly in opposing camps.

Putin said that in spite of the frictions, the United States remains "one of our major partners."

"For us, the U.S. is a very important partner in the economic sphere, disarmament, nonproliferation of nuclear weapons and their components, and missiles. There are many other spheres including the fight against terrorism in which partnership between the United States and Russia cannot be replaced," Putin said.

"I am sure that most of our partners in the United States have the same view, including the president."

But he suggested no nation had the right to interfere in Russia's relations with third countries.

"As far as the view of our relations with other countries, we will discuss our relations with them directly," Putin said icily.

Speaking of U.S. criticism of a hard-fought Russian-Ukrainian gas deal, which many Ukrainian politicians and the U.S. government have objected to as putting the two sides on unequal terms, Putin pointed at the Ukrainian leadership's approval of the deal and asked: "How can leaders of other states say it is bad for the Ukrainians?"

"I don't understand if this criticism is addressed to us or the Ukrainian leadership. But you should ask those who make these comments," he said.

EU leaders on Thursday spared Russia from any criticism similar to Cheney's, but they emphasized the need for Moscow to adhere to democratic values.

"Russia has now very important chairmanship, it's not only the chairman of the G-8, it's also chairman now of the Council of Europe, and therefore we do think that Russia has a special responsibility also to take forward questions like human rights, rule of law, good governance _ all these basic values we in the European Union hold up," EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner told reporter, reports AP.

O.Ch.