Jane Cowan reported this story on Friday, December 9, 2011 08:12:00

TONY EASTLEY: The Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin has accused the United States of sparking the mass protests over the country's recent parliamentary elections.



In shades of Cold War rhetoric Vladimir Putin has blamed the US secretary of state Hillary Clinton for sending a signal to the opposition encouraging them to protest by questioning the fairness of the Russian parliamentary polls.



North America correspondent Jane Cowan reports.



(Sound of crowd chanting)



JANE COWAN: The protests have seen hundreds of people arrested in three days of demonstrations in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Now it's turned into a stoush between Russia and the United States.



The Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin, in the midst of a campaign to return to the presidency, has lashed out at the US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, singling her out and blaming her for inciting the discontent.



(Sound of Vladimir Putin speaking)



"I looked at the first reaction of our American partners," he told supporters in Moscow.



"The first thing the US secretary of state did was say the elections were unfair and unjust. She set the tone for activists inside our country, gave them a signal. They heard this signal and started active work with support from the US State Department."



Hillary Clinton has been outspoken in her criticism of the poll. She has made several strongly worded statements after election observers cited concerns about a lack of separation between the government and Mr Putin's United Russia party.



The party lost a surprising number of seats in the elections. Opposition groups say there would have been more if it wasn't for violations including the alleged stuffing of ballot boxes at some polling booths.



And the US secretary of state isn't backing down, today saying this to reporters in Brussels:



HILLARY CLINTON: We expressed concerns that we thought were well founded about the conduct of the elections.



JANE COWAN: At the White House too spokesman Jay Carney was unapologetic.



JAY CARNEY: It should not come as surprise to anyone that we the United States of America support democracy for everyone around the world.



But we also have sought to deepen our engagement with Russian society and promote universal values and we will continue to do that.



JANE COWAN: Putin's comments mark a souring of relations between Russia and the United States just as the Obama administration had been trying reset the relationship.



There are already tensions too over the American missile defence system being deployed in Europe.



With both countries headed for presidential elections next year things are only likely to get more complicated.



This is Jane Cowan in Washington for AM.