STRELNA, July 15 (RIA Novosti) - U.S. President George W. Bush said Saturday Russia had its own style of democracy, which could not be the same as U.S. democracy.
Speaking at a joint news conference with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin after their meeting in advance of the G8 summit, he said he understood that President Putin did not want to be told how to run his own government.
Putin said at the news conference that Russia needed no Iraq-type democracy.
"We believe that no one knows better than us how to strengthen our state. Yet we know that we cannot strengthen it without developing democratic institutions. But we will do this independently," the Russian leader said.
