Putin reaches out to Europe

Vladimir Putin (right) learned fluent German in the KGB

Russian President Vladimir Putin has stressed the need for closer ties with Germany as part of a strategy of building stronger co-operation with Europe.

Speaking at the start of a visit to Russia by the German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, Mr Putin said historic barriers which separated Russia and Germany had been overcome.

The visit comes a week after Mr Putin, in his second state of the nation address, identified closer ties with Europe as one of his priorities, and played down relations with the United States.

A strong Russia, and that is the kind of Russia we want, needs a civil society

Gerhard Schroeder

During the visit, Mr Schroeder has indicated his support for press freedom, as a battle for control of the country's only independent national television network continues to rage.

He told a meeting also attended by Mr Putin that building a civil society was vital for Russia.

"A strong Russia, and that is the kind of Russia we want, needs such a civil society in the same way as it needs mass media which inform the people and monitor the authorities," Mr Schroeder said at a Russian-German civil society forum.

On arrival, the German leader said he would raise the issue of NTV, whose journalists say a takeover by the state-dominated gas monopoly, Gazprom, is part of an attempt by the Kremlin to silence a vocal critic.

Strained US relations

Mr Schroeder has already tried to reassure Moscow over plans for further Nato expansion, which is one of President Putin's major concerns.

Mr Schroeder paid respect to Russian war dead

German officials have said Mr Schroeder will also brief Mr Putin on developments regarding US plans for a national missile shield - which Russia vociferously opposes - though will not act as a mediator.

Russian-US relations have been strained by disagreements over the shield, and by a recent tit-for-tat expulsion of spies.

President George W Bush has also indicated that relations with Russia are not for him such a high priority as they were for his predecessor.

Mr Schroeder's first call was to a war cemetery in Saint Petersburg where he and Mr Putin laid a wreath to the 400,000 people who died in Hitler's siege of Leningrad, which lasted for nearly 900 days.

Debt

Mr Schroeder paused to bow as a mark of respect to watching Russian war veterans, and later shook hands with them.

Mr Schroeder has had frequent meetings with President Putin in the last six months, and a rapport has built up between the two leaders.

The two leaders will also continue their discussions on how to deal with Russia's $19bn debt to Germany.

There have been suggestions that Germany would consider accepting shares in some Russian businesses as a form of debt repayment, but no agreement has been reached.