What he did not confirm was how the oil would get there, mentioning "Russia will be guided by its own interests as well as economic and environmental motives."

In an interview on satellite channel Star TV, Putin said that the oil promised to China would be delivered, either "by the construction of a pipeline to Daqing or by increasing crude shipments by rail.

"No matter which decision is chosen," Putin stated his country is "interested in further developing ties with China."

On the matter of the current tug-of-war between China and Japan for access to Russian oil, Putin was very clear. "When choosing a route for exporting oil from Eastern Siberia, Russia will be guided by its own interests as well as economic and environmental motives.

"We should calculate which route is the most optimal from the standpoint of Russia's interests. We should think of developing Eastern Siberia and the Far Eastern regions, and we, naturally, should think of resolving environmental problems," said the president.

Putin confirmed that Russian environmental experts have yet to fully evaluate the routes proposed by the two Asian countries but - in keeping to what he said about maintaining Russia's interests - he did add that "the more comprehensive the access to Russian mineral resources is, the better it is for the development of the Asia-Pacific region."