MOSCOW -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has accused the United States of living beyond its means, according to reports.

He described that country as a "parasite on the global economy".

Dominance of the U.S. dollar, Putin continued, represents a threat to the financial markets.

"They are living beyond their means and shifting a part of the weight of their problems to the world economy," Reuters quoted the prime minister as saying.

Putin was touring the pro-Kremlin youth group Nashi, north of Moscow.

He also noted that Russia holds a large amount of U.S. bonds and treasuries, and that a "systemic malfunction" in the United States "will affect everyone".

"Countries like Russia and China hold a significant part of their reserves in American securities. There should be other reserve currencies," Putin was quoted as saying by the news agency.

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