Putin says Romney 'mistaken' but Russia could work with him
President Vladimir Putin says Mitt Romney's hard-line on Russia is "mistaken" campaign rhetoric but that Moscow can work with the Republican Party candidate if he is elected U.S. president in November, Radio Liberty reported.
But in an interview with Russia's RT television aired on September 6, Putin appeared to suggest that a Romney presidency could widen the rift between Russia and the United States over U.S.-led NATO plans to deploy a missile-defense shield in Europe.
Putin indicated the standoff might ease if President Barack Obama is reelected, calling Obama "an honest person who really wants to change much for the better."
Romney recently said that if elected, Russia could expect "less flexibility and more backbone" from Washington.
Russia says it is concerned the planned missile-defense system could threaten Moscow's nuclear deterrent.
In a live-microphone moment that prompted criticism from Republican opponents in March, Obama was overheard asking then-President Dmitry Medvedev to relay a request that Putin "give me space" on missile defense in order to afford "more flexibility" after Obama's reelection.
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