Russia has no imperial ambitions and will not infringe on the sovereignty of the former Soviet republics, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Thursday.

"Russia initiated the end of the former Soviet Union. If it wasn't for Russia, the USSR would still exist... We have no wish or grounds to encroach on the sovereignty of former Soviet republics," Putin said at a Valdai Discussion Club meeting in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

"No matter what they say, we have no imperial ambitions and will not have any," he was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.

Putin warned that no one in the world is permitted to take unilateral decisions. "We must agree on the rules of the game. Not a single country can resolve all international problems by itself, without assistance of capable partners."

Answering why Russia has failed to establish stable relations with the West, Putin asked why the West has not established stable relations with Russia.

"That's two-way traffic," Putin said, adding a relationship should be based on equality and mutual respect.

The premier also criticized Europe for not having its own foreign policy, saying Russia cannot and will not maintain such a relationship.

Earlier in the day, South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity said the republic planned to merge with the Russian province of North Ossetia and become part of Russia, a statement he later withdrew.

Meanwhile, Abkhaz leader Sergei Bagpash said Abkhazia would not try to obtain associated territory status with Russia but would seek to join the Commonwealth of Independent States, the alliance of ex-Soviet states, and the Russia-Belarus Union State.

South Ossetia and Abkhazia broke from Georgia's rule during wars in the early 1990s following the collapse of the former Soviet Union, but their self-proclaimed independence is not recognized internationally.

Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states on August 26, two weeks after it concluded a recent conflict with Georgia.

(Xinhua News Agency September 12, 2008)