German police salutes as Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives at Munich airport on Friday. - REUTERSMUNICH, Germany, (Reuters)

Russian President Vladimir Putin sharply criticised the United States yesterday for what he said was an attempt to force its will on the world.

Speaking at an annual gathering of top security and defence officials in Germany, Putin attacked the concept of a "unipolar world" - implying the United States is the sole superpower — and said U.S. 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," Putin said.

"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."

one superpower

After the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, the world was left with only one 'superpower'. But Putin has led Russia's transformation from a state in economic crisis into a land with increasing power, thanks to its vast oil and gas resources.

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," 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.

Putin mentioned no specific conflicts. But he has been very critical of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, where U.S. soldiers are still struggling to crush an insurgency.

LONG ON BRAVADO

The new U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates, the top U.S. official at the conference, said Putin's comments were "interesting, very forthright".

U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman, also in Munich, called the speech "provocative" and "rhetoric that sounded more like the Cold War". Republican Senator Lindsey Graham dismissed Putin's speech as "long on bravado and short on realism".

A Putin spokesman, however, said the Russian president was not trying to provoke Washington.

"This is not about confrontation, it's an invitation to think," he told reporters.

Putin made clear he believed U.S. 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 U.S. will never be enemies and I agree with him," he said in answer to a question.

Putin also called on European states, many of which have disagreed with U.S. 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 U.S. 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."