MUNICH, Oct 11: President Vladimir Putin was rebuffed on Wednesday in his desire for a bigger Russian stake in aerospace firm EADS as he ended a visit to Germany clouded by the murder of a prominent journalist in Moscow.

Mr Putin had hoped to further Russian business interests on a two-day trip that took him to the eastern city of Dresden to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday, but he came at a time of deep suspicions in Europe over Russia's intentions.

Bavarian state premier Edmund Stoiber said he had talked to Putin about EADS and told him there were limits to foreign investments in sensitive sectors.

"I asked him to understand that in some strategic industries there are limits to taking reciprocal stakes ... We must both respect each other's interests," Stoiber told a joint news conference.

Germany worries Moscow is trying to use revenues from its vast oil and gas reserves to wield greater global influence.

Stoiber's comments were a clear warning to Putin, who makes no secret of his wish to invest further in Germany, that he should steer clear of seeking a strategic investment in EADS after a Russian bank bought five percent of it.

But Mr Putin hit back in a speech to business leaders in the Bavarian capital Munich.

"We do not understand the nervousness in the press about Russia investing abroad," he said. "Where does this hysteria come from?".—Reuters