February 16, 2008 (LPAC)--Contrary to media headlines that Vladimir Putin had "lashed out at" or "ripped" Senator Hillary Clinton during his Feb. 14 final annual press conference as President of Russia, Putin carefully refused to be baited into doing this, and instead took the occasion to emphasize his idea of the importance of U.S.-Russian relations. The question came during the second hour of the lengthy session, when a Greek reporter asked Putin what his reaction had been to Sen. Clinton's comment that, as a former KGB officer, Putin "by definition" did not have a soul (hardly mentioned in the U.S. media, this was big news in Russia). Putin replied, "I think that, at minimum, a statesmen should have a head," and, therefore, instead of reacting, he would stress being "guided by the fundamental interests of the country."

Thus, he continued, "I believe that Russia has an interest, as does the United States, in having relations between our two countries that would enable us to solve the problems that face us in the areas of security, disarmament, non-proliferation, the battle against diseases, etc. For this, we need constructive dialogue, and Russia is ready for that kind of work. How the American leadership, and future leadership, plans to shape its relations with Russia, you'll have to ask them." Earlier in the press conference, Putin said that Russia would be prepared to "work with any U.S. President who wants to work with us." Whatever may happen during election campaigns, he added, "the fundamental interests of Russia and the United States inevitably push the leadership of these two countries towards developing a positive dialogue - a kind of partnership, at minimum."

Putin also found an opportunity to cite the intersection of U.S. and Russian activity around the Israeli-Arab conflicts. Asked by an Arab reporter to contrast his vision of that region with that of George Bush, Putin emphasized that the close proximity of Israelis and Arabs, including Jews and Arabs within Israel, requires "thinking about some fundamental changes in Mideast policy, ... to order relations among these people, who live so close together in this region, in such a way that they all have an interest in stabilizing the situation, rather than heating it up." In that context, Putin said that Russia in fact welcomes "what President Bush has been doing in the most recent period," adding that "I think he sincerely wants the Mideast situation to be stabilized." Putin noted that Russia has encouraged its traditional partner, Syria, to engage in the dialogue and conference process.

Putin discussed many other aspects of international security, some of which remarks have been widely publicized in the media: Russia's security interests concerning NATO, Poland, and Ukraine; the issue of sovereignty and territorial integrity, as it comes up in Serbia with the move to separate Kosovo, and in the Russian North Caucasus with "foreign interference" to inflame the situation there.

He also discussed the quality of national leadership, from the standpoint of a statesman. Asked what advice he had given Presidential candidate Dmitri Medvedev, Putin said that he would not have endorsed a candidate who needed a baby-sitter or day-to-day advice. Medvedev is a "mature politician," Putin said. At the same time, he said that he, Putin, would continue to express his views, whether holding office or not. As President, Putin said he had stayed in touch with his predecessor, Boris Yeltsin, until the latter's death, and that Yeltsin's observations, "including on international affairs, had been important for me, because he was a knowledgeable person and an experienced one, so I thought it was no disgrace for me to listen to his opinion."

Putin said that he welcomed the presence of Vladimir Zhirinovsky of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia and Communist Party candidate Gennadi Zyuganov in the race, because "these are serious people, ... and, despite differences in our approaches to social and economic policy, they are patriotic people, ... with whom, in general, we share views on the course of international relations."

A reporter from the Associated Press asked Putin if certain newspaper reports were true, in saying that he was the richest man in Europe, and, if so, what was the source of his wealth. Putin looked directly at him and answered, "It's true. I am the richest person not only in Europe, but in the world. Let me collect my emotions. I am rich, because the people of Russia twice entrusted to me the leadership of such a great country as Russia, and I believe that is my greatest wealth."