ST. PETERSBURG, June 16. /TASS/. The United States is undermining its power in the sphere of global finance through the use of the dollar as a "tool in armed struggle," Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

"They are undermining their power by pursuing time-serving populist goals, and this is the question whether such goals are proper from the standpoint of the United States proper," the Russian leader noted. "In particular, in the sphere of global finance, because when using the dollar as a tool in armed struggle - and it cannot be stated differently - they generate doubts in reliability of the US currency as a payment instrument in the global trade and as a store of value, a store of reserves," Putin said.

Current political leaders of the US are abusing confidence of the American people, the Russian leader said. The US economy is the great one and this is "the obvious merit of the American people, gifted and capable," Putin added.