Prime Minister Vladimir Putin voiced hope Saturday that Russia's ties with the U.S. can improve under President-elect Barack Obama's administration, but told the West it must learn to respect Russia's interests.
Putin said Obama was "sincere and open" and that Moscow was encouraged by what Putin described as positive signals from Obama's camp during the election race. But he said Russia would "wait and see" as Obama sets his course.
"It is my deep belief that the most bitter disappointments usually result from excessive expectations," Putin said at a meeting with German newspaper editors in Dresden that lasted until 2 a.m.
Putin worked as a KGB officer in Dresden, in what was then East Germany, from 1985 to 1990.
Russia's relations with the United States have sunk to their post-Cold War low amid acrimonious disputes over U.S. missile defense plans and Russia's August war with Georgia, an ex-Soviet neighbor that has close U.S. ties.
Putin praised what he described as signals that Obama's administration could drop plans to deploy missile defense installations in Poland and the Czech Republic and halt efforts to grant NATO membership to Georgia and Ukraine.
Obama has not been explicit in public about whether he would proceed with the missile defense plan in Poland and the Czech Republic. More broadly, he has said he supports missile defense but wants to ensure that it is proven to be a reliable system that does not detract from other security priorities.
Putin said Russia and the U.S. could cooperate constructively on such issues as arms control, the Middle East peace efforts and the Iranian nuclear standoff.
Russia does not want to defy the West, but wants its interests to be taken into account, he said.
"We respect our partners, but we expect the same attitude to us," Putin said. "We must acknowledge each other's interests and respect each other."
The meeting was part of a brief visit to Germany to drum up support for Russia in its gas dispute with Ukraine, which has led to a cutoff of the bulk of Russian gas supplies to Europe for 10 days. The EU nations have harshly criticized both ex-Soviet neighbors.
Putin held out hope for improving ties with the West despite the crisis, which has fueled concerns about Moscow's increasing assertiveness in global affairs. But he also declared that Russia will not change its course to satisfy the West.
"If some people think that Russia doesn't fit some standards, that's their right," he said. "But it doesn't impede us from looking at whether the standards you like are that good."
