Moscow, April 16: Russian President Vladimir Putin's foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov has accused the US administration of demonstrating "conflicting behaviour", but said Moscow was ready to develop and deepen its ties with the US.

The official's comments were made during a visit by US national security advisor Tom Donilon to Moscow.

Moscow, April 11 : Finland's Interior Minister Paivi Rasanen has apologized to Russian President Vladimir Putin after he was erroneously put on a secret blacklist of people with connections to criminal activity, Finnish media reported.

MTV3 reported Wednesday that Putin's name had been put on the criminal register due to his contact with Russian biker club Night Wolves. After the mistake was discovered, his name was quickly removed.

"I wish to extend Russia's President Vladimir Putin my sincere apologies for the incorrect registry entry," the Finnish TV station quoted Rasanen as saying in a statement.

Moscow, April 9 : Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered lowering of sickness benefits for sportsmen and top managers, the Kremlin press service said.

Putin enforced the amendments into law "about mandatory social insurance of a professional causality and professional illness" which affected a handful of the highest-paid people in Russia, Xinhua reported.

The President proposed the amendments after learning that 12 players of the St. Petersburg Zenit soccer club had drained 53 percent of the city's total social security budget in 2011.

Moscow, April 5 - Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Barack Obama will hold full-fledged talks on the sidelines of the G8 Summit in Northern Ireland in June, a Putin aide said.

The possibility of "contacts in connection with Obama's participation in a G20 summit" is also under consideration, presidential aide Yury Ushakov said.

The question of a possible visit to Moscow by Obama will be discussed with US National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, he said.

"I believe Donilon will come to Moscow and issue some signals in that regard," he said.

Moscow, March 24 - The situation in Syria should be resolved by means of negotiations, Russian President Vladimir Putin and British Prime Minister David Cameron have agreed.

Putin and Cameron discussed the conflict in the Middle East country by phone.

"The sides exchanged opinions on the international agenda, focusing on the situation in Syria," the Kremlin said in a statement.

Kazan (Russia), March 20 : Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for visa-free travel for foreign athletes competing in major sports events scheduled to take place between now and 2018, which include next year's Winter Olympics in Sochi and the 2018 Football World Cup.

"Before 2018 about 20 of the biggest international competitions and world championships are to take place in Russia. It would be right if we introduce visa-free entry for all the athletes taking part," said Putin, who was visiting the Volga region city of Kazan, host of July's international university games, officially called the Summer Universiade.

Moscow, March 16 - Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law banning foreign banks from opening branches in the country, the government website said.

The bill was adopted by the State Duma Feb 22 and approved by the Federation Council March 6.

The bill amends a number of existing Russian banking laws as part of a strategy to develop the domestic banking sector by 2015.

The law excludes branches from the definition of the banking system in Russia.

Moscow, March 14 : Breaking his silence for the first time, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that elimination of wrestling from the 2020 Olympic Games would be unjustified.

"This is unjust to eliminate the traditional sport from the Olympic program which used to be there even in ancient Greece," Putin was quoted as saying by Xinhua Wednesday.

Putin was talking to the representatives of the International and Russian Sambo Federations.

Moscow, Feb 25 : Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a smoking ban bill into law, the Kremlin said Monday.

The law bans smoking in public places, including bars, restaurants, hotels, hospitals, stadiums and train stations, reported Xinhua.

It also imposes measures to reduce the demand for tobacco products and restrict trade in them. Advertising and sponsorship of tobacco is prohibited under the law.

The State Duma, or lower house of the parliament, approved the bill on Feb 12 and the Federation Council, the upper house, passed it Feb 20.

It will come into effect June 1.(IANS)

Moscow, Jan 3 : Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law imposing heavy fines on ticket touting for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

Anyone who sells Sochi Olympics tickets above their face value will be fined up to a million rubles ($33,000), and the new federal law also imposes price control on local hotels during the Olympics, the RIA Novosti news agency reports.

The Winter Olympics in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, which features 98 medal events under the motto of "Hot. Cool. Yours," is slated Feb 7-23.

London, Dec 29 : The Obama administration has condemned as `politically motivated' a decision Moscow to ban Americans from adopting Russian children.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the controversial bill, with the immediate effect of preventing 52 children from joining pre-assigned parents in the US on Friday.

It marked the latest exchange over US legislation relating to the case of corruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Indian in a visit that is aimed at boosting Russia's trade and military alliance with the emerging south Asian nation.

He is expected to sign a host of military arms deal with the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his visit to the country. Russia has been the prime source of weapons to India for several years but India s increasing exploring other options and placing orders with western companies.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard is set to leave the Russian city of Vladivostok and will miss the Asian-Pacific summit because of the death of her father.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Saturday that Gillard will leave the country and go back to Australia. The country's Trade Minister Craig Emerson, who was already present at the location, will now represent Australia at the summit.

The unparalleled dislodge, prompted by Vladimir Putin, the prime minister, and shall witness a quarter of the complete world's wheat exports reserved from the market. It paves in as Russia experience from its worst deprivation in over a century, which has witnessed much of its harvest wipe down by wildfires.

Although Britain procures little wheat straight from Russia, most loaves on supermarket shelves have a big quantity of imported flour. Russia's stir sent up prices on the extensive market to a 30-month high in Paris, where European wheat is in operation.

Imports of U. S. poultry should be reduced as U. S. producers have yet to comply with Russian safety laws, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has said.

India and Russia have signed a number of business and strategic interest pacts with each other.

They were signed during the first day of the visit of Russian PM, Vladimir Putin.

As many as five important agreements were signed between Putin and Indian PM, Manmohan Singh. Many others were signed too.

The most important of the lot was the nuclear pact, which deals about building nuclear reactors and opening the way for many other co-operations to take place. This will be done between NPCIL and Atomstroy Export.

London, Dec 30 : Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi has secured a 10percent discount on a new Russian-built 4x4 vehicle.

Russian Prime Vladimir Putin broke the news of the UaZ being handed to Berlusconi on a lower price,

Putin was in Vladivostok, test-driving the vehicle made by the carmaker Sollers in eastern Russia.

"I told [the Italian Prime Minister] that we would start production here. Berlusconi didn''t believe me," Times Online quoted Putin, as saying.

Moscow, Dec 29 : Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin Tuesday said Russia would continue to develop offensive missiles to defend against a potential US attack despite ongoing nuclear arms reductions talks.

Speaking in Vladivostok, Russia's largest port on the Pacific Ocean, Putin said the country would develop offensive missiles "to maintain the balance of power," Interfax reported.

The offensive missiles would be Moscow's answer to Washington's plans for a defensive missile shield, Putin said.

Kozmino (Russia), Dec 28 - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who officially launched the East Siberia-Pacific Ocean (ESPO) oil pipeline Monday, said it was a project of strategic importance for Russia.

During his visit to the region, the Russian premier took part in the official ceremony of pumping the first batch of Siberian oil into an oil tanker at the specialised maritime oil-loading port of Kozmino, the final point of the ESPO project.

New York, Dec 16 : Vladimir Putin’s alleged girlfriend Alina Kabaeva has given birth to a baby boy, whom sources claim to be the Russian Prime Minister’s first son.

Kabaeva, the gorgeous, 26-year-old rhythmic gymnastics champion, recently gave birth to a boy in Moscow and named the baby Dimitry.

Kabaeva has been identified as Putin''s girlfriend ever since she retired from competition in 2006 after winning two Olympic medals and 18 World Championship medals to become the most decorated gymnast in history.