By Scott Conroy - December 29, 2011

LATIMER, Iowa -- In an interview with RealClearPolitics on Thursday, Mitt Romney dismissed any possibility that Ron Paul might win the Republican nomination.

"Ron Paul's not going to be our nominee," Romney said aboard his campaign bus, en route to a rally in Ames.

Romney and Paul are currently tied in the latest RCP Iowa polling average.

Romney’s comment came in response to a question about whether Paul’s foreign policy views might endanger the nation’s security if he were elected president.

The former Massachusetts governor said that he disagreed with many of Paul’s positions on international affairs.

“I’m going to say what I’ve said before, which is I’ll support our Republican nominee,” Romney said -- though he made clear he doesn't believe that the GOP standard bearer will be the Texas congressman.

In the interview, Romney touched on a wide range of issues, including whether the notion of “too big to fail” still applies to the country’s largest banks.

Romney also came out in favor of a campaign finance system that allows for unlimited individual contributions to candidates and said that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin “has shown his colors as someone who would like to return to the glory days of the Soviet Union of the past.”

“I hope the Russian people are able to find leaders that are more willing to represent the interests of the people,” Romney said.

More details on the interview later.

