Moscow – Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sunday it was impossible for Russia to resume its Cold War rivalry with the United States.
“We are not adversaries. We are partners in many areas of international activities,” he said in an interview broadcast by Fox News.
But Putin reiterated his opposition to a U.S.-European push to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council for consideration of sanctions over its nuclear program. He also said the United States should pull its troops out of Iraq within two years.
Putin was in New York last week for the U.N. world summit and talks with President Bush. He gave the taped interview Friday, but it was not broadcast until Sunday. A transcript was posted on the Kremlin’s website.
Putin, whose government fiercely opposed the war to oust Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, said the U.S.-led coalition’s military presence in Iraq is fueling the insurgency and urged that a deadline be fixed for the withdrawal of foreign troops.
“I believe it should be within just over a year, or within two years, something like that. It will all depend on the situation in that country,” he said.
