Presidential ambiguity

President Dmitry Medvedev kept Russia and the world guessing on Wednesday over whether he will seek a new mandate in 2012 - or whether Prime Minister Vladimir Putin intends to run for the six-year term as president.

Speaking to over 800 journalists at a technology center outside Moscow in the first large-scale news conference of his presidency, Medvedev refused to offer any firm indication of his intentions.

This kind of decision has to be made when all the conditions are right, when it has the final political effect," Medvedev said, carefully choosing his words.

Medvedev bluntly stated, however, that it was wrong for rulers to stay in power too long, although the comments came in direct reference to Russia's powerful regional governors whom he has reshuffled dramtically in the last years.

"Nobody stays in power forever. And if anyone has that kind of illusion then they will end badly," the president said.

Putin and Medvedev have both been evasive about their plans for next March's presidential elections. They have said they would decide later whether to run, but most analysts expect Putin to reclaim the nation's top job.

At odds over modernization

Medvedev also glossed over recent disagreements with Putin, saying that when "it comes to strategy, we are close" but admitted that he wanted the modernization of Russia to take a faster pace.

"On modernization I have, perhaps, a slightly different position from the [prime minister] because he says [...] that modernization is a calm and gradual process. I think that we have every chance that this modernization could be quicker."

The president said continual progress had been made in the past decade in what he called the five major areas of modernization - energy efficiency, nuclear and outer space technology, medicine, strategic IT. But he added that he was "absolutely certain" that Russia had not achieved what he called any "qualitative change."

"Have we achieved anything out of the ordinary in Russia? No. This should be inspiration enough for [my colleagues and I] to work day and night to improve the standard of living in our country."

Return to Cold War?

Medvedev addressed a number of political affairs in the news conference, from Moscow's rejection of international interference in Syria, to the controversial imprisonment of oil tycoon and Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

Asked about the danger Khodorkovsky would pose if he were set free, Medvedev gave only a brief - though telling - response to one of the most sensitive issues in Russian politics.

"You asked a short question and you will get a short answer: absolutely none," Medvedev said.

Medvedev also conveyed a clear message to the United States against its plans to build a missile defense shield in ex-Communist eastern Europe, warning this would force Moscow "to take retaliatory measures - something we would very much rather not do."

The Russian leader reiterated an earlier threat to pull out of the new START disarmament agreement that entered into force this year if the missile shield was deployed and operated without the Kremlin's input.

"This would be a very bad scenario. It would be a scenario that throws us back into the Cold War era."

Author: Gabriel Borrud (AFP, Reuters)
Editor: Nancy Isenson