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Grilled by EU leaders, Putin defends stance on Georgia
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published October 21, 2006
LAHTI, Finland - Russian President Vladimir Putin defended his government's tough stance on Georgia and dodged European Union leaders' demands Friday that he commit to a legally binding energy charter that would guarantee better access to Russia's oil and gas fields. The 25 EU leaders, meeting with Putin over dinner after a one-day summit on energy, also grilled Putin about the killing of journalist Anna Politkovskaya. He called her death "a brutal murder" and pledged to hunt down her killers, diplomats said. He sidestepped European appeals for moderation on Georgia and said he was acting to prevent conflict between Georgia and its breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which have close ties to Russia. "To our great sorrow and concern, the situation is developing in the direction of possible bloodshed," Putin said. "It was a tough message," said Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus.
[Last modified October 21, 2006, 01:54:39]
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