Russia will continue cooperation with the United States despite the perception Washington needs to do more to achieve real consensus with its friends and allies, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.
“Sometimes I think that America does not need allies, it needs vassals. But we want and we will develop cooperation with the United States, because I see that a transformation is taking place inside the United States itself,” Putin said during a four-hour Q&A session on Thursday.
Russia, which opposes a monopolar world, is not going “to live as a country surrounded by enemies,” Putin said.
The premier accused the United States of imposing its political will on its allies. He referred to the U.S. military campaign in Iraq in 2003 when the United States attacked the country and then compelled its allies to join the operation.
“Is that alliance? Is that mutual decision-making? Alliance means discussion, making a joint decision, outlining an agenda concerning common threats and ways to tackle them,” Putin said.
