Russia lashes out at US national stragegy

Moscow, Mar 20: Russia lashed out today at a US strategy document that was critical of Moscow's democracy record, saying it sent alarming signals about the future of bilateral ties and the direction of Washington foreign policy.

The new national security strategy, published last week, spelled out Washington's concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin was backsliding on democracy and said the Kremlin's policies would shape the US-Russian relationship.

''Should we understand this to mean that in the immediate future US-Russian relations face far from the best of times?'' the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

Despite cordial personal relations between Putin and US President George W. Bush, top Washington officials have openly criticised what they see as a Kremlin drive to boost its direct control over the vast country and silence opposition.

Washington has also been worried about Russia's ties with Iran and its attempts to boost its diplomatic presence in the Middle East by courting Syria and radical Muslim group Hamas in the wake of its Palestinian election win.

The two-paragraph reference to Russia in the US national security strategy specifically mentioned Moscow's policy in the Middle East and Asia as a factor influencing bilateral ties.

Moscow, for its part, suspects the US policy of promoting global democracy is, in reality, an instrument to establish itself as the dominant power in post-Soviet states that traditionally fall within Russia's sphere of influence.

In the past two years, peaceful revolutions in Ukraine and Georgia have brought to power pro-Western governments. Russia's ally Belarus, run by authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, is now facing mounting Western pressure to reform.

''One cannot avoid the impression that the popular slogans are simply being used in (Washington's) interests,'' the Russian statement said.

''This trend is increasingly apparent in practical issues of international politics ... when the prescribed solutions are based on 'political reasons' as (Washington) sees them, rather than on objective analysis of the situation,'' it added.

Russia urged Washington to respect its interests in shaping bilateral relations, including with ex-Soviet states.

''One should understand that without applying these principles, US Russian relations could fall hostage to subjective opinions,'' the Russian statement said.

Reuters