VLADIVOSTOK: Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to have only brief talks with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during a regional summit this weekend, his top foreign policy aide said.
Putin plans longer bilateral meetings with leaders of other countries from the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum during their annual summit, which is being held in Russia's Far East city of Vladivostok.
However, with Clinton filling in for US President Barack Obama who cannot attend because he is campaigning for re-election, Putin plans to hold a shorter meeting with her during a reception, Putin's top foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov said.
The meeting with the top US diplomat comes after the Russian strongman accused Clinton of encouraging unprecedented protests against his decade-long rule.
"They will step to one side" for talks during the reception Putin throws for his guests this weekend, Ushakov told reporters. "If there are chairs around, they will take a seat."
In his comments released Thursday, Ushakov said Clinton would not have a full-blown bilateral meeting with Putin because she is not a head of state.
In a statement released ahead of the meeting with Clinton, the Kremlin also stressed it was important for Moscow and Washington to cooperate, while bearing in mind the "principles of equality, mutual respect and non-interference in domestic affairs."
The United States is the only participant nation at the APEC summit not represented by a head of state. Ushakov stressed the Kremlin understood that Obama -- who is attending the Democratic convention -- was busy.
Putin bewildered Washington earlier this year by refusing Obama's offer to hold a bilateral summit at the White House and attend the G8 summit at Camp David in May.
The Russian strongman said he was too busy forming a government. Soon afterwards Washington confirmed publicly that Obama would not go to the APEC summit in Vladivostok because of his plans to seek re-election.
Putin's predecessor, Dmitry Medvedev, made much of his efforts to "reset" Russia's troubled ties with the United States but signs of the tentative rapprochement all but disappeared once the Russian strongman known for his combative anti-Western rhetoric returned to the Kremlin for a third term in May.
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