Russia's Putin attacks US arrests, fears for ties

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin criticised the US arrests of suspects in an alleged Russian spy ring and said on Tuesday he hoped the scandal would not set back improving Russian-US ties.

"Back at your home, the police went out of control (and) are throwing people in jail," Putin told former US President Bill Clinton. "I hope that all the positive gains that have been achieved in our relationship wll not be damaged by the recent event," he added. (Reuters)