Russian President Vladimir Putin sharply criticised the United States and its Western allies today for what he said was an attempt to force their will on the world.
Speaking at an annual gathering of top security and defence officials in Germany, Mr Putin attacked the concept of a "unipolar world" - implying the United States is the sole superpower - and said US actions abroad had made conflicts worse.
"What is a unipolar world? No matter how we beautify this term it means one single centre of power, one single centre of force and one single master," Mr Putin said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin
"It has nothing in common with democracy because that is the opinion of the majority taking into account the minority opinion. People are always teaching us democracy but the people who teach us democracy don't want to learn it themselves."
Mr Putin said the United States had repeatedly overstepped its national borders in questions of international security, a policy that he said had made the world less, not more, safe.
"Unilateral actions have not resolved conflicts but have made them worse," Mr Putin said, adding that force should only be used when backed by the United Nations Security Council.
"This is very dangerous. Nobody feels secure any more because nobody can hide behind international law," he said.
Mr Putin mentioned no specific conflicts. But he has been very critical of the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, where US soldiers are still struggling to crush an insurgency.
Mr Putin made clear he believed US President George W. Bush was a good man, despite their many disagreements.
"I consider the president of the United States a decent man. He is also a friend. He is criticised for everything he does but he is a decent man. He says Russia and the US will never be enemies and I agree with him," he said in answer to a question.
Mr Putin also called on European states, many of which have disagreed with US policy in Iraq and elsewhere, to be more active in international affairs.
He added that Russia had no intention of changing its approach to foreign policy, one Western diplomats say frustrates European and US leaders when it stands in the way of a consensus they have reached.
"Russia has always pursued an independent foreign policy," he said. "We are not going to change this tradition today."
Mr Putin said Russia would oppose any move to settle the future status of Serbia's breakaway province of Kosovo without the agreement of both Serbs and ethnic Albanians.