Putin tells Obama he wants dialogue based on equality and respect

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin called for dialogue based on equal treatment and mutual respect with the United States on Saturday in a congratulatory message to President Barack Obama marking U.S. Independence Day. Putin said U.S.-Russian relations remained important for solving global crises. The two countries have disagreements over the conflict in Ukraine, defence matters and democracy. "In his message of congratulations, the Russian President noted that, despite the differences between the two countries, Russian-American relations remain the most important factor of international stability and security," the Kremlin said in a statement. Putin expressed confidence that Russia and the United States could find solutions to the most complicated international issues and meet global threats and challenges together if they based their relationship on the principles of equality and respect for each other's interests, the Kremlin added. The statement did not provide further details and did not mention Western sanctions imposed over Russia's role in the Ukraine crisis and Moscow's annexation of Crimea peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. The wording of the message was similar to last year's congratulatory message to Obama. (Reporting by Polina Devitt; editing by Timothy Heritage and Clelia Oziel)