MOSCOW -- President Vladimir Putin sternly urged the West on Thursday to respect Russia's interests in global affairs and defended his move to sanction the delivery of a long-range air defense missile system to Iran.
In a lengthy TV call-in show with the nation, Putin criticized Washington for refusing to see Moscow as an equal partner and warned that Russia's Western ties, in shambles over the Ukrainian crisis, could be normalized only when the U.S. and its allies show readiness for compromise.
He also described the killing of top Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov as "tragic and shameful" and commended police for quickly tracking down the perpetrators. But he said he wasn't certain whether Russian law enforcement agencies would be able to track down those who organized it.
The president focused heavily on economic issues during the annual call-in show, which lasted four hours.
He received more than 3 million questions before and during the show, which involved live feeds from Russia's regions as well as a studio audience.
People asking about global crises alternated with callers seeking support for industries and agriculture, subsidies for expensive medical treatment, and even advice on personal issues.
The president pointed at the ruble's recent recovery as a sign that the nation had successfully gone through the worst part of economic upheavals caused by a sharp plunge in global oil prices and Western sanctions against Russia over the Ukrainian crisis.
Putin, whose approval ratings top 80 percent despite the recession, said the country can overcome any challenges if it remains united.
"If we preserve a stable situation in domestic politics, preserve the current consolidation of society, we shouldn't fear any threats," he said.
Official estimates are that Russia's economy will shrink by 3 percent to 5 percent this year in the sharpest decline since 2009, but Putin said the slump would likely be less significant.
Turning to foreign policy, Putin said his decision to lift a 2010 Russian ban on the delivery of S-300 air-defense missile systems to Iran followed a tentative deal on ending the Iranian nuclear standoff reached by Tehran and six world powers earlier this month.
The president said Iran should be rewarded for showing "a great degree of flexibility and a desire to reach compromise" in the talks.
He added the S-300 is a defensive weapon that shouldn't pose any threat to Israel, and may in fact serve as "a deterrent factor in connection with the situation in Yemen."
Putin said Russia would continue to cooperate with its international partners on negotiating a definitive nuclear deal with Iran. He argued that the international sanctions still in place don't ban the delivery of the S-300, which Russia had halted voluntarily.
He said Russia remains open for overcoming the current tensions with the West, but warned Washington that it should stop treating Moscow as an inferior partner if it wants to normalize ties.
"The main condition is to have respect for Russia and its interests," he said, adding that the United States "doesn't need allies, they need vassals."
Asked to comment about Western leaders' refusal to visit Moscow to attend a May 9 Victory Day parade marking the 70th anniversary of victory over the Nazis, Putin said many of them yielded to Washington's pressure.
Putin said that despite the frictions with the West, "we don't see anyone as enemy," adding that "we don't recommend anyone to see us as enemy."
He said Russia expects France to return an advance payment if it fails to deliver a warship built for the Russian navy, but wouldn't seek any fines. France suspended the delivery of the Mistral warship as tensions increased between Russia and the West over the Ukrainian crisis.
The Russian leader also criticized Ukraine, accusing it of violating its obligations under February's peace deal by maintaining an economic blockade on rebellious eastern regions, refusing to deliver pensions and other social payments to people in the east, and shutting financial services to the region.
Putin argued that the Ukrainian leadership is effectively cutting off the eastern regions from the rest of the country.
At the same time, the Russian president insisted that he remains committed to cooperating with the Ukrainian president to overcome the crisis, adding that the peace agreement signed in February provides the only way out of it.
He reaffirmed a strong denial of Ukrainian and Western claims that Russia has sent troops to back the rebels in eastern Ukraine.
"There are no Russian troops in Ukraine," he said.
When a resident from southwestern Russia near the border with Ukraine asked him if they should fear a war, Putin answered with a categorical no. "You live in calm," he said.
Information for this article was contributed by Nataliya Vasilyeva of The Associated Press.
A Section on 04/17/2015