Putin: «We’ll demand adequate compensation for our help»

Russian stands against creation of new state formations and is not going to annex nobody, but will demand corresponding compensation for any its help, Russia’s president Vladimir Putin declared.

“We don’t want nobody to be nationalised by Russia, because it’s an additional economic load for us,” he said in the interview to the US magazine Time, Interfax reports.

According to the president, “intrusion of new state formations is absolutely senseless, if peoples of the countries do not will it.”

As V. Putin stressed, “we want our so called natural competitive advantage in the world economy were used.” “Only economic integration is possible to speak about,” he added.

Touching upon the topic of relations in the frames of the CIS, the head of state emphasised that Russia should “build its relations with former republics of the Soviet Union on absolutely egalitarian basis.” ”Only by such a way, by such an approach, can we bank on integration processes in economy, using our natural competitive advantages in the world economy,” V. Putin said.

“We have many other consolidating elements. Some branches of economy are just unable to exist separately, they simply can’t. It concerns Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and many other republics of the former Soviet Union. I think, we should build our relations on this basis,“ president of Russian Federation pointed out.

Answering the question about dispute between Russia and some CIS countries on energy prices, V. Putin said: “What dispute? There are world gas prices. We trade with all countries at world market prices. Why should we sell anybody at prices below world ones? Does it enter your head?”

“Do Americans sell something below the world market prices? Is it possible to say in the US shop: ‘I’m from Canada, Canadians are close friends of the United States, sell me a Chrysler at half price.’ What answer can this man get? He will be said: You’re an idiot, go away form here,” the president added.

He thinks “violation of the principles of the world market economy will damage the countries, which do so.”

“Even inside Russia we have adopted the programme of transit to the world calculation of price for inner consumers. Another approach deforms the county’s economy, makes some branches be dependent on others. It leads to the so called cross-subsidisation of the economy and destroys it,” V. Putin said. So, he noted, “we are going over to market principles, as inside the country, so in the relations with our close neighbours.”

“But if we help anybody, we proceed from the assumption that we will receive adequate compensation. But we don’t see it yet,” the head of state said.

He reminded, Russia was supplying its neighbours with energy at the prices below the world ones for 15 years, granting 3-5 billion dollars annually to their economies.” It was for Ukraine only. But it can’t last forever, it’s a wrong presentation of the problem,” V. Putin stressed.

“If we help anybody, we proceed from the assumption that we will receive adequate compensation. But we don’t see it yet,” the Russia’s president said.