Russia

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Saturday that his "Russophobe" Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yushchenko was the sole reason for the decline in relations between the two countries. Everything Yushchenko had done in recent years had worked to damage traditional links between Russia and Ukraine, Medvedev said. "We have a very difficult relationship with Ukraine, but this is not a dispute between the two societies," Medvedev said in an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel. "To be quite honest, all the controversy and all the problems are related to one person: the current president of Ukraine," he said. "He is under the influence of Russophobe ... Read Full Story

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's communist party denounced powerful Prime Minister Vladimir Putin while cautiously praising President Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday as a man who had brought 'certain hopes' to the country. Putin, who has ruled as "first among equals" with his hand- picked successor, was the chief focus of anger in communist marches on the anniversary of the 1917 Bolshevik revolution. "Medvedev should not look back at Putin," said protester Yakub Saidullayev, who held a banner reading 'Putin is the main hurdle for the progress of Russia'. "He should come out from Putin's shadow." Thousands waving red flags and banners criticizing corruption and poverty ... Read Full Story

New sanctions against Iran cannot be excluded if there is no movement forward in the standoff over its nuclear drive, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in comments released by the Kremlin on Saturday. In an interview with German weekly Der Spiegel, Medvedev confirmed Russia was prepared to help with work in enriching Iranian uranium if Tehran agreed to a UN-brokered plan to break the deadlock. "If the Iranian leadership takes a less constructive position, then in theory anything is possible," Medvedev said in the interview, a full transcript of which was released by the Kremlin. He said that he had discussed this with US ... Read Full Story

BERLIN (Reuters) - Sanctions against Iran should not be ruled out if it fails to agree to restrictions on its nuclear program, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told German weekly magazine Der Spiegel in an interview. Russia's ties with Iran, which include oil and arms, give it rare influence with the Islamic Republic, making the Kremlin a major player in international efforts to force Tehran to be more transparent in its nuclear plans and to stop enriching uranium. "If an agreement is reached on programs for the enrichment of uranium and its use in Iran for peaceful means, then we will gladly participate in these ... Read Full Story

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has signaled that Moscow could back sanctions against Iran if it fails to take a constructive stance in international talks over its nuclear program. Medvedev says in an interview with Germany's Der Spiegel magazine that Iran must abide by the international rules and not try to hide its nuclear facilities. His comments were released by the Kremlin Saturday. Medvedev says it would be better to avoid sanctions, but they can't be excluded if there is no progress in the talks. The comments follow up on Medvedev's statement in September that sanctions are sometimes inevitable. Medvedev's remarks contrast with the words ... Read Full Story