Putin's Tough Talking

Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, today warned the US against the use of force against Iran, in the latest example of blunt talking from the former KGB man, who likes to project a tough-guy image.

"We should not even think of making use of force in this region," Mr Putin said during a summit of Caspian Sea countries in Tehran.

Some of his most pointed language has been directed at the US.

He angered the Americans last week when he told reporters: "We have no objective evidence to claim that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons, which makes us believe the country has no such plans."

At a conference in Munich on security policy in February, Mr Putin lectured an audience that included the US secretary of defense, Robert Gates, and a congressional delegation, about the US tendency to go it alone on international issues.

"We are seeing a greater and greater disdain for the basic principles of international law. And independent legal norms are, as a matter of fact, coming increasingly closer to one state's legal system," he said.

"One state and, of course, first and foremost the United States, has overstepped its national borders in every way. This is visible in the economic, political, cultural and educational policies it imposes on other nations. Well, who likes this? Who is happy about this?"

In August, Mr Putin announced that Russia was resuming long-range flights by Russian strategic bombers.

"Russia stopped this practice in 1992. Unfortunately, not everybody followed suit. This creates a strategic risk for Russia ... we hope our partners show understanding towards the resumption of Russian air patrols," he said.

An American plan to install elements of a missile shield in eastern Europe is one of the biggest irritants in US-Soviet relations.

In August, in an interview with the Tiraspol Times from the breakaway Trans-Dniester territory within Moldova, Mr Putin said: "Eastern Europe is receiving new weapons... And we are asking ourselves the question: what is going on?

"Russia is disarming unilaterally. But if we disarm unilaterally then we would like to see our partners be willing to do the same thing in Europe. On the contrary, Europe is being pumped full of new weapons systems. And of course we cannot help but be concerned."

Britain has also been on the receiving end of Mr Putin's tough talk. He brushed aside an extradition request for Andrei Lugovoi, wanted in connection with the murder of Alexander Litvinenko in London.

"They are making proposals to change our constitution that are insulting for our nation and our people. It's their brains, not our constitution, which need to be changed. They forget that Britain is no longer a colonial power and that Russia was never their colony."