Putin attacks 'very dangerous' US
Mr Putin said the US overstepped its borders in every way
|
Russian President Vladimir Putin has attacked the United States for what he said was its "almost uncontained" use of force around the world.
America's "very dangerous" approach to global relations was fuelling a nuclear arms race, he told a security summit.
Correspondents say the strident speech may signal a more assertive Russia.
US defence secretary Robert Gates, also attending the summit in Munich, said only that the Russian leader had been "very candid".
Mr Putin told senior security officials from around the world that nations were "witnessing an almost uncontained hyper use of force in international relations".
 |
What we are talking about here is a very, very sensitive technology, and for that reason we need a high degree of transparency...
|
"One state, the United States, has overstepped its national borders in every way," he said, speaking through a translator.
"This is very dangerous. Nobody feels secure anymore because nobody can hide behind international law.
"This is nourishing an arms race with the desire of countries to get nuclear weapons."
BBC defence and security correspondent Rob Watson, in Munich, said Mr Putin's speech was a strident performance which may well be remembered as a turning point in international relations.
Iran says it wants nuclear power, not nuclear weapons
|
While the new US defence secretary had little to say about the speech, US Senator Joseph Lieberman described it as "provocative."
Its rhetoric "sounded more like the Cold War", the senator said.
"Until we get rid of unilateralism in international affairs, until we exclude the possibility of imposing one country's views on others, we will not have stability," he said.
Mr Putin's spokesman Dimitry Peskov said the speech was "not about confrontation, it's an invitation to think".
clipped from: news.bbc.co.uk 