President Vladimir Putin sharply criticized European Union "bureaucrats"

President Vladimir Putin sharply criticized European Union "bureaucrats" Thursday for pressing Russia to raise domestic energy prices as a condition for joining the World Trade Organization and asked visiting German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder to support him in the dispute. "EU bureaucrats either don't understand it or deliberately put unacceptable conditions for Russia to join the WTO," Putin said at a meeting with Russian and German businessmen that was part of bilateral consultations in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg. "We cannot move to world energy prices in a single day. It will ruin the country's economy. Eurobureaucrats either do not understand this or are trying to impose conditions which are unacceptable for Russia's entry into the WTO," Putin said. "Such a tough position towards Russia is unjustified and dishonest. It's an attempt to twist our arms, but Russia's arms are getting stronger and the EU won't succeed in twisting them," Putin said. In Brussels, the European Commission responded to Putin's criticism by saying it is not asking for unreasonable concessions from Russia.