Putin asks West not to meddle in ex-Soviet republics
CET | By Lucia Kubosova
The Russian president has warned EU leaders against political interference with ex-Soviet republics.
Referring to Ukraine, Vladimir Putin said such interference may lead to problems later on.
Speaking to foreign journalists prior to a visit to Germany on Wednesday, Mr Putin suggested there was no cooling of relations because of different attitudes between Brussels and Moscow towards the "orange revolution" in Ukraine last year.
"Our foreign partners may be making a mistake," said Mr Putin.
"We are not against any changes in the former Soviet Union. We are afraid only that those changes will be chaotic. Otherwise there will be banana republics where he who shouts loudest wins", he said, pointing to the current problems in Ukraine with corruption.
"I don't think any western countries, either European or the United States are working against the Russian Federation", said Mr Putin, but added that some NGOs in Kiev were financed by foreign governments and Moscow knew about it, according to the UK daily Guardian.
Following this week's trip to Berlin, Mr Putin will also visit the UK, currently chairing the EU's six-month rotating presidency, to attend the EU-Russia summit next month.
The two superpowers are set to sign a series of bilateral agreements, covering trade and security issues.
No rush on Iran, says Moscow
The Russian president also confirmed that Moscow wants to take a more cautious approach towards Tehran – contrary to the EU and the US.
Kremlin officials ruled out on Monday (5 September) a move to report Iran to the UN Security Council, because of its nuclear activities.
Instead, Moscow wants the nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to deal with recent developments - rather than the Security Council.
Mr Putin did not exclude a future referral to New York, but said it would not be just now and would have to be done "in a very precise form", according to the Financial Times.
Brussels and Washington have been trying to up the pressure on Tehran before a key IAEA meeting later this month.
The dispute has deteriorated after the three EU countries negotiating on behalf of the union - the UK, France and Germany – failed to reach an agreement with the Iranian authorities in August.
The talks are aimed at convincing Tehran to give up all activities connected with the enrichment of uranium, as it can be used for both nuclear reactors and the production of atomic weapons.
Oh, you mean about how Russia's interest are in Europe and not Asia? I don't know where I was going with that, probably all that Mountain Dew racing thru my system turning everything into a rambling, incoherent thought.
