Two-thirds of Germans back Putin's US criticisms

BERLIN, Feb 13 (Reuters) Around two in three Germans support Russian President Vladimir Putin's view that the United States is on a mission to become the world's ''one single master'', according to a poll released today.

A survey of 1,000 Germans showed 68 percent supported the attack made by Putin on Washington at a high-profile Munich security conference over the weekend, the poll by Emnid for N24 television showed.

Twenty-two percent of those surveyed disagreed with Putin's accusation that the United States was making the world a more dangerous place by pursuing policies aimed at making it the sole superpower.

A large majority of Germans opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and view President George W Bush with deep suspicion, despite efforts by Chancellor Angela Merkel to bolster bilateral ties.

The Emnid poll also showed 62 per cent of Germans were not concerned about stronger Russian military might.

Reuters DKA RN2016