BEIJING -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin warned Wednesday that talking about sanctions against Iran could ruin negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear program.
Putin said the threat of sanctions is unneeded at this point because it could scare the Iranians, scuttling chances that talks with global powers could end Tehran's recalcitrance.
"If we speak about some kind of sanctions now, before we take concrete steps, we will fail to create favorable conditions for negotiations. That is why we consider such talk premature," Putin told reporters in China.
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"We believe that we should treat this issue with caution, and there is no need to scare the Iranians," he said.
The remarks, which came while U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was visiting Russia, were a fresh rebuke to U.S. efforts to secure solidarity from Russia in firmly warning Iran of the consequences it could face if it refuses to halt uranium enrichment and come clean about its nuclear activities.
Russia and China, veto-wielding permanent U.N. Security Council members, have opposed stronger sanctions against Iran, which the U.S. and allies say is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
Putin's comments expanded on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's statement Tuesday, at Clinton's side at a news conference, that threatening Iran is counterproductive at this point.
Putin said the international community must focus on negotiations with Iran.
"We must hold negotiations and search for compromises. If they are not found, then we will see what will happen next," he said.
Putin said there was no contradiction between his statements on the issue and those of President Dmitry Medvedev, who pleased the United States by saying in the U.S. last month that sanctions can sometimes be unavoidable _ the clearest suggestion yet that the Kremlin would likely support tougher sanctions if the current diplomatic efforts fail.
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