MOSCOW // President Vladimir Putin sternly urged the West to respect Russia’s interests in global affairs and defended his move to sanction the delivery of a long-range air defence missile system to Iran during a marathon TV call-in show with the nation on Thursday.
Mr Putin scathingly criticised Washington for refusing to see Moscow as an equal partner and warned that Russia-West ties, in tatters over the Ukrainian crisis, could only be normalised when the United States and its allies show readiness for compromise.
He also described the February 27 killing of top Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov as “tragic and shameful” but said he wasn’t certain if Russian law-enforcement agencies would be able to track down those who organised it.
The president focused heavily on economic issues during the show, a slickly produced hours-long annual affair intended to boost his image.
He said the nation’s economic performance has remained strong, despite Western sanctions slapped on Russia over the Ukrainian crisis and a slump in global oil prices. He pointed at the rouble’s recovery as a sign of a renewed investor confidence in Russia.
The president, whose approval ratings top 80 per cent despite the recession, said Russia can overcome any challenges if it remains united.
“If we preserve a stable situation in domestic politics, preserve the current consolidation of society, we shouldn’t fear any threats,” he said.
Turning to foreign policy, Mr Putin said his decision to lift a 2010 Russian ban on the delivery of the powerful S-300 air defence missile system to Iran followed a tentative deal on ending the Iranian nuclear standoff reached by Tehran and six world powers earlier this month.
He said Iran should be rewarded for showing “a great degree of flexibility and a desire to reach compromise” in the talks. He said the S-300 is a defensive weapon that shouldn’t pose any threat to Israel, and may in fact serve as “a deterrent factor in connection with the situation in Yemen.”
He also reaffirmed a strong denial of Ukrainian and Western claims that Russia has sent troops to back the rebels in eastern Ukraine.
“There are no Russian troops in Ukraine,” he said.
When a jittery resident of areas in southwestern Russia near the border with Ukraine asked him if they should fear a war, Putin answered with a categoric “no”. “You live in calm,” he said.
* Associated Press
