Putin's latest pronouncement

Vladimir Putin signals plan to reclaim old job as Russian president

Russia PM says he and Dmitry Medvedev would take joint decision over roles, raising prospect of Putin era continuing

• Buzz up!
• Digg it

• Luke Harding and David Hearst in Moscow
• guardian.co.uk, Friday 11 September 2009 14.57 BST
• Article history

Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister, has hinted of a return to Russia's Kremlin in 2012. Photograph: Michel Euler/AP

Vladimir Putin dropped the heaviest hint so far that he aims to return to his former post as president in 2012, a move that could see him still in the Kremlin in 2024 – aged 72. Speaking to a group of international scholars and journalists at his country residence, the Russian prime minister refused to quash rumours that he would return as president when Dmitry Medvedev finished his first term.

He said the process of deciding who would be president would follow the same pattern as in the run-up to the last election, when Putin effectively called all the shots and picked Medvedev as his successor. An election took place, but the result was a foregone conclusion.

"Was there any competition in 2007? No. Then we won't have this in 2012," Putin said. Smiling broadly, he added: "We will agree because we are people of one stamp. We will take all these things into account and then decide."

Putin even sought to use Britain as a defence of the Russian example of a ruling elite deciding over the head of the people who should lead the state.

"Look at Great Britain, when a friend of mine [Tony Blair] retired and automatically promoted Gordon Brown to the post of prime minister. Did the people of Great Britain participate in this? There was a change in leadership in the country and they just decided. Whereas when my term expired I supported Dmitry Medvedev because I thought he was the best person to be leader, and I was right."

Is this a record for the number of successful snipes in a single sentence?

And 'people of one stamp' indeed.