Putins denies he was misled over Iraqi military

President Vladimir Putin today dismissed media allegations that Russian intelligence experts had misled him over the US war in Iraq by exaggerating Saddam Hussein’s military capability.

Putin said Russian intelligence agencies had given him a ”reliable” forecast that “fully matched the actual developments ... almost to the day.”

“The work of our intelligence services was very reliable and efficient,” he said in response to a reporter who asked whether bad intelligence had pushed him into a wrong policy on Iraq.

Many Russian media speculated that Russian intelligence and military experts had exaggerated Iraq’s ability to resist the US attack and predicted a longer campaign. That, they said, prompted the Kremlin to take a harsher stance against the war in apparent hopes of reaping benefits by playing mediator once the American offensive bogged down.

Putin dismissed the allegations, saying his criticism of the war had stemmed entirely from respect for international law.

“We based our position not on who would be the winner, but on what means could be used to solve such conflicts,” Putin said. “This position wasn’t linked to the information we had that suggested a quick conclusion, taking into account the military potential of the United States and its allies and the virtual absence of such in Iraq.”

Putin’s words contradicted some earlier statements from Russian officials, including Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov, who extolled the strength of the Iraqi army and said that a US victory was “far from certain” just a week before the fall of Baghdad.

Putin’s strong opposition to the war in Iraq tarnished the warm relations he had taken pains to cultivate with the United States following the September 11 terrorist attacks. However, Russian and US leaders have pledged to put the rift behind them.