Russian PM Vladimir Putin has bashed Michael Dell at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, following Dell's offer of help in IT expansion.

After delivering a 40-minute speech about economics, energy and politics, it was time for questions, and Dell used the chance to ask the Russian czar if the motherland needed any help in IT expansion.

Putin didn't take him up on the offer, and went on sarcastically state how Russia doesn't need help. "We are not invalids. We don't have limited mental capacity," said Putin, causing quite a stir among the present Davos decision makers.

Russia isn't very keen on accepting aid from the West. Following the fall of communism, droves of overpaid consultants invaded Moscow in droves, and Russians feel they helped drive the country's economy into the ground.

Later on, Putin took another poke at Dell, talking about how Russian boffins were respected for their software, and not their hardware. Obviously he was implying that software development takes a bit more know-how than putting together a cheap PC and shipping it.

Putin, a former KGB operative, already has a reputation for being confident, tough and quite undiplomatic in some cases, a fact somebody probably forgot to inform Mr. Dell about.

More here.