Putin's retort to the US president's charge

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Friday rejected US President Barack Obama's charge that he was mired in Cold War thinking, setting the scene for a stormy first meeting at a Moscow summit next week, media sources report.

In a pre-trip interview, the US leader told the Associated Press that Putin needed to "understand that the Cold War approach to US-Russian relations is outdated" and that Putin had "one foot in the old ways of doing business."

Putin hit back, saying Russians were standing firmly on both feet.

"We are standing firmly on both feet and always look to the future. That is the peculiarity of Russia. That has always allowed Russia to move forward and get stronger. That will continue," Putin was shown saying with a smile on state television.

Putin remains the dominant force in the Russian power structure after stepping down as Kremlin chief in 2008. His meeting with Obama next week is likely to set the tone for relations between the world's two biggest nuclear powers.

In keeping with protocol, Obama will spend more time with Putin's hand-picked successor as president, Dmitry Medvedev.

In his comments to the AP, the U.S. leader was more complimentary about Medvedev. He said he thought the Russian president understood the need for cooperation.

When asked about Obama's comments, a spokesman for Putin said the prime minister would use the summit to relieve the president of his mistaken impressions.

"I see that he does not possess full information. After visiting Moscow, President Obama will know the realities better," said Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

"We are ready for effective cooperation, we really expect a lot of the new administration," Putin said during an agricultural inspection in Russia's southern Krasnodar Region.