Vladimir Putin slams 'cynical' West

Moscow: Russian strongman Vladimir Putin on Monday hit out at the West's "cynical" stance on Syria and warned against strikes on Iran in a tough foreign policy message ahead of his likely return to the Kremlin.

The aggressive tone of Putin's remarks echoed the diplomatic battles he waged as president in 2000-2008 and may only feed concerns about Russia's policies after his expected comeback in Sunday's vote.

"The chain of wars that are being justified by humanitarian objectives are undermining centuries-old principle of state sovereignty," Putin wrote in an article outlining his vision for Russia.

"Another vacuum is forming in international relations - a moral one," he wrote in the Moskovskye Novosti daily.