MOSCOW, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Russia neither fears nor seeks a new Cold War, but it depends on the West whether such a war will break out again, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Tuesday.

"We are not afraid of anything, including the prospect of a new Cold War, but we don't want one, and in this situation everything depends on the position of our partners," Medvedev told the RussiaToday television.

Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev (L) and Prime Minister  Vladimir Putin attend a meeting in Russia's Defence Ministry  headquarters in Moscow, in this Aug.  11, 2008 file photo.  (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

If they want to sustain a good relationship with Russia, they will understand why Moscow recognized the independence of Abkhaziaand South Ossetia, he said.

Medvedev also said that U.S. presidential candidates may make use of the current situation in their election campaigns, although "voters are indifferent to events abroad."

The president reiterated that recognizing the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia was in line with the international law.

"Each case of recognizing independence is a special case," Medvedev said, noting Russia's Western partners said Kosovo was a special case during its independence debate.

Earlier in the day, Medvedev signed decrees recognizing the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the two breakaway regions of neighboring Georgia.

The move, which was slammed by some Western countries, will further strain Russia's ties with the West, already deteriorated due to the recent clashes in South Ossetia.