ANTALYA, November 16. /TASS/. Russia’s relations with its Western partners a year ago were much more strained than now although Russia was not isolated even back then, Russian President Vladimir Putin told journalists after a Group of Twenty summit in Turkey’s Antalya.

"There were no problems back then, neither are any now, although relations [a year ago] were more strained than today. But life goes on, things change, new problems, new threats, new challenges that cannot be tackled single-handedly spring up," he said. "We must get united."

The Russian leader said he did not share the view that Russia was in international isolation during the last year’s Group of Twenty summit in Australia.

"Last year, the Australian partners created very good conditions for work. Everything was arranged accurately, there were no problems, it was just a striving to picture the situation as an isolation of Russia. There was nothing of the kind," Putin said. "The fact that I left earlier, no secret, and I have already told this, I did it due to technical considerations not to be waiting for the takeoff in a line.".