[JURIST] Russian President Vladimir Putin [official profile; JURIST news archive] Saturday criticized what he called the "dangerous" use of force by the United States in the face of international law in a hard-hitting speech [audio, in Russian; press release] at the 43rd Munich Conference on Security Policy [official website]. Speaking to a forum of over 250 participants from more than 40 countries, Putin said the almost "uncontained" use of US force had overstepped the scope of its sovereignty in the pursuit of its national interests, and observed that the Bush administration's doctrine of preventive war was destabilizing as other states were more likely to engage in nuclear proliferation when they thought they were in danger. "Nobody feels secure anymore because nobody can hide behind international law," said Putin, according to a translation of his remarks provided by AP.

Putin also voiced concern at NATO's expansion [JURIST report], and criticized US plans for missile defense systems. AP has more.