On February 8, President Putin said that a global battle for natural resources has begun, the nationalist "RBK Daily" reported on February 11 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," February 11, 2008). The paper noted that "according to him, 'many conflicts carry a whiff of gas and oil,' and this explains why many developed nations are showing increasing interest in Russia. 'Their investments in defense are not comparable to ours. Their defense spending exceeds ours by an order of magnitude.'" The daily also noted that Putin feels that NATO is "expanding, drawing ever closer to Russia's borders. 'We shut down our bases in Cuba and Vietnam. And what did we get in return? New American bases in Romania and Bulgaria. A new section of the missile-defense system seems likely to be installed in Poland soon, with another element in the Czech Republic.'" "RBK Daily" reported that Putin considers Washington's assertion that missile defense is not directed against Russia "nothing more than a media-diplomatic cover story." PM
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