ST. PETERSBURG, June 17. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has confessed at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Friday that he is more of an optimist than a pessimist when it comes to international relations.

He pointed to a growing controversy in the United States. "If [US] policies remain the same, it will keep growing," Putin said, adding that he had "great respect for the American people."

The Russian president believes that elites will have to respond to the people’s demands. "At the end of the day, relations will become what they should in these countries, in the United States and on the international stage. I am more of an optimist than a pessimist," he added.