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| Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting in Moscow's White House December 8, 2011. Putin accused the United States on Thursday of stirring up protests against his 12-year rule and said foreign countries were spending hundreds of millions of dollars to influence Russian elections. REUTERS/Alexsey Druginyn/RIA Novosti/Pool (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS) THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS |
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Prime Minister Vladimir Putin accused the United States on Thursday of stirring up protests against his 12-year rule and said foreign countries were spending hundreds of millions of dollars to influence Russian elections.
In his first public remarks about daily demonstrations over allegations that Sunday's election was slanted to favour his ruling party, Putin said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had encouraged "mercenary" Kremlin foes by criticizing the vote.
"She set the tone for some opposition activists, gave them a signal, they heard this signal and started active work," Putin told supporters as he laid out plans for his campaign to return to the presidency in a March election.
Invoking Ukraine's 2004 Orange Revolution and the violent downfall of governments in Kyrgyzstan -- another fellow former Soviet republic where Moscow has suggested street protesters had U.S. support -- he said Western nations were spending heavily to foment political change in Russia.
"Pouring foreign money into electoral processes is particularly unacceptable," said Putin. "Hundreds of millions are being invested in this work. We need to work out forms of protection of our sovereignty, defense against interference from outside."
He added: "We have to think of ways to tighten accountability for those who carry out the aims of foreign states to influence domestic political processes."
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