Russian President Vladimir Putin said U.S. tariffs are designed to hold back China's economy and that U.S. attacks against Chinese telecom giant Huawei are aimed at weakening China. 

Now the United States is doing the same to Russia, he added. 

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Putin made the remarks during an annual televised Q&A conference on Thursday in Moscow. 

During the Q&A session, Russian citizens have the opportunity to contact the president via telephone, text message, or social media, while Putin talks about the government's achievements and addresses current issues as well as international affairs, according to RT. 

Putin said he was ready to hold talks with U.S. President Donald Trump if the chance arose, but thought Trump's re-election campaign could complicate U.S.-Russia relations. 

Trump has said he expects to meet Putin at a G20 summit in Japan later this month. 

Commenting on the Iran nuclear deal and tensions between Washington and Tehran, the Russian president said sanctions against Iran reimposed by the U.S. are "groundless," noting that Iran has been fully compliant with the deal. 

Fears of a confrontation between the U.S. and Iran have mounted since attacks on two oil tankers at the entrance to the Gulf of Oman last Thursday, which Washington has blamed on Tehran.  

Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan announced on Monday the deployment of about 1,000 more troops to the Middle East for what he said were defensive purposes citing concerns about a threat from Iran. Tehran said on Thursday that an Iranian surface-to-air missile had shot down a U.S. military drone over the Strait of Hormuz. 

Putin said any use of force by the U.S. against Iran would lead to disaster. "The U.S. says it does not rule out the use of force... This would be a disaster for the region," he stressed.  

China recently warned against opening a "Pandora's box" in the Middle East and called on all parties to remain rational and restrained. 

Putin said that the fate of 24 Ukrainian sailors held in Russia since last year must be linked to the release of Russian citizens held in Ukraine whom Moscow wants to see freed. 

Putin's comments marked a departure from the Kremlin's insistence that the sailors must be put on trial and that their case must be properly investigated before any discussion of their possible release. 

The Russian navy captured the Ukrainian sailors and their three vessels in the Kerch Strait, which links the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, on November 25, 2018. Moscow accuses them of illegally entering Russian waters, something Kiev denies.  

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"Issues like this one should not be resolved in isolation," Putin said. "Before resolving these issues, we should think about how to resolve the fate of people we are concerned about, including Russian citizens who are in a similar situation in Ukraine." 

He also answered questions on Russia's domestic issues, saying that low living standards, low wages, poor healthcare and worries about how rubbish was being disposed of were now the most acute problems for Russians. 

"It's true that real incomes have been falling for several years," Putin responded to a question about people's livelihood in the country. "The biggest fall was in 2016, but now incomes have gradually started to recover." 

(With input from agencies) 

(Cover: Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) attends an annual nationwide televised phone-in show in Moscow, Russia, June 20, 2019. /Reuters Photo)