Coalition forces in Iraq are facing two enemies at once: the remains of Saddam Hissein’s regime who fight with them and those whom the Iraqi leader himself had fought in the past - the fundamentalists. In order to tackle this new threat efficiently, the US administration has to restore the sovereignty of the country as soon as possible, and ensure the passage of a new UN draft resolution on Iraq that would define the mandate of the international forces in Iraq, the Russian President believes.

According to The New York Times, Vladimir Putin sees no point in sending Russian troops to Iraq now. In his opinion, although international military contingents provide political support for the US in Iraq, they are not useful in other respects, as some start abusing alcohol and others begin to sell weapons, thinking only about how to get out of the country.

Mr. Putin also said that Russia was ready to write off part of Iraq’s $8bn debt to Russia. But he added that Russia would only make this decision in coordination with other members of the Paris Club of creditors.

On Iran, the Russian President stressed that this country should return spent nuclear fuel. The issue is being discussed at talks with Teheran. Vladimir Putin pointed to the unfair attitude to Russian companies, who came under sanctions for taking part in the construction of a nuclear reactor in Iran, while European and American companies were also involved in the project, but no sanctions were applied to them.

Speaking about the Chechen conflict, Vladimir Putin rejected criticism of the Chechen presidential election and criticized Washington’s double standards, when Islamic militants in Chechnya are seen as democrats, while Islamic militants in Afghanistan and Iraq are described as criminals, The New York Times reports.