MOSCOW, May 7 (RIA Novosti) -- The Soviet Union stood for preservation of unified Germany after the end of World War II, writes Russian President Vladimir Putin in an article published in Le Figaro.

"During the Yalta Conference the Soviet Union firmly supported the idea of preservation of Germany's statehood and unity," the Russian President says.

In his opinion, temporary separation of Germany into two states

was determined by military-political and ideological antagonisms of "cold war."

"In the struggle against Nazism, the Soviet people did not fight against the German people and did not bear hatred toward Germans," the head of the Russian state writes.

"A positive role played by our country in the process of German unification is well known. And if in the past the historic reconciliation between France and Germany became a basic precondition for European integration, this time, the partnership between Russia, Germany and France is the major positive factor on the global arena and in European dialogue,' the Russian President emphasized.