Russian President Vladimir Putin has criticised the US for what he said was an attempt to force its will on the world.
Speaking at an annual gathering of top security and defence officials in Germany, he said and said US actions abroad had made conflicts worse.
Mr Putin attacked the concept of a 'uni-polar world', implying the US is the sole superpower, saying it has nothing in common with democracy.
The Russian President accused the US of repeatedly overstepping its national borders in questions of international security, a policy that he said had made the world less, not more, safe.
The new US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, who was the top US official at the conference, said Mr Putin's comments were 'interesting and very forthright'.
However a Russian spokesperson said Mr Putin was not trying to provoke Washington.
