MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin struck an unusually conciliatory tone in his annual state of the nation address on Thursday, saying Moscow wanted to get on with the incoming U.S. administration and was looking to make friends not enemies. We need friends," Putin told Russia's political elite gathered in one of the Kremlin's grandest halls. Russia hopes Trump will give Russia a freer hand there and cooperate militarily to fight Islamic State. Putin's tone may have been softer than usual, but he still made it clear that Russia would continue to robustly stand up for its own interests. Complaining about what he said were "myths" about Russian aggression and Russian meddling in other countries' elections, he said Moscow wanted to independently decide its own fate.

Source: The Star December 01, 2016 10:30 UTC