Putin likely to return
Saturday, 09 Jun 2007 12:12
Vladimir Putin at last week's G8 summit
Vladimir Putin has hinted he may seek a third term as Russian president in 2012.
Russia's constitution restricts presidents to two successive four-year terms in the Kremlin, but future spells are possible after a break.
Mr Putin, who has presided over a revival in economic and international terms in Russia, has previously said he will stand down when his second term as president ends at the beginning of next year.
But while he has refused to modify Russia's constitution to allow him to seek a third consecutive term he has insisted he will not retire from frontline politics.
"In theory it's possible and the constitution doesn't forbid it," he said when asked by reporters at last week's G8 summit whether he would stand for president in 2012.
"However, there's still a long way to go and I haven't even started thinking about that," Mr Putin continued in comments reported by Russian newspaper Kommersant.
Despite criticism in the west over increasingly anti-US rhetoric that has raised fears of a new cold war, Mr Putin is a hugely populist figure in Russia, with his political reforms entrenching the president's office as the position of power in the country.
Russia's pro-Kremlin parliament, the Duma, has previously reacted favourably towards suggestions from the 54-year-old that presidential terms should be increased to five or seven years.
Yesterday Tony Blair admitted that Britain's strained relations with Russia were unlikely to be resolved "any time soon".
The prime minister held hour-long talks with Mr Putin at the close of the G8 summit, later revealing the two leaders had engaged in a "very frank discussion".