LUXEMBOURG (AP) – Russia’s growing economic power has made it less vulnerable to outside pressure, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday, after signing economic and trade accords with Austria and Luxembourg.

Mr. Putin said Russia’s economic clout – marked by an annual economic growth rate of 7 percent or more – means “there are fewer ways to pressure Russia” these day.

The Russian leader, who completed a short European tour on Thursday, acknowledged it also made for a fractious relationship with the European Union.

“There are problems but we will solve them together,” he said at a news conference after a two-hour meeting with Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker.

On a visit to Austria Wednesday, Mr. Putin signed energy agreements and played down disagreements with the EU that were laid bare at last week’s summit in Samara, Russia.

With Mr. Juncker, he signed energy, banking and steel agreements, including one for the Russian energy giant Gazprom to build thermal power plants.

Trade between Russia and Luxembourg has more than tripled over the past three years and totaled 241 million euros ($325 million) last year, Luxembourg officials said. The Grand Duchy has long been a European banking magnet and financial services are an increasingly important link between the two nations.