Putin hints at presidential comeback in 2012

October 14th, 2009 McCain strategist defends Palin as VP choice in 08LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A top adviser from John McCain's presidential campaign who has criticized Sarah Palin's odds as a presidential candidate in 2012 is standing by the decision to pick her as McCain's 2008 running mate.

September 15th, 2009 Medvedev not ruling out run in 2012MOSCOW — Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says he hasn't ruled out running for a second term in 2012. Questions about whether he will run have swirled since his predecessor and mentor Vladimir Putin indicated last week that he was also interested in running for another term.

September 12th, 2009 LONDON - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is strongly considering to become President again and swap places with present incumbent Dimitri Medvedev, which will allow the former KGB spy to remain in power till 2024. Putin insisted that swapping places with Medvedev was no more sinister than the Labour leadership agreement in which Gordon Brown took Tony Blair's job.

September 11th, 2009 MOSCOW - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Friday that he and President Dmitry Medvedev would come to an agreement before the 2012 presidential polls and would not compete with each other. "There will be no competition.

August 5th, 2009 Putin bares his torso in SiberiaMOSCOW — Vladimir Putin stripped to the waist for photographers while visiting a remote, rugged region of Siberia, cultivating the macho image that has helped him remain Russia's most popular leader more than a year after stepping down as president. Putin, now the prime minister, rode a horse bare-chested and swam the butterfly in an icy river while visiting the Tuva region of southern Siberia.

August 5th, 2009 Putin again bares his torso in SiberiaMOSCOW — Vladimir Putin has once again stripped to the waist for photographers while visiting a rugged region of Siberia. The Russian prime minister rode a horse bare-chested and went swimming while visiting the Tuva region.

July 30th, 2009 Russia to run 7.5 pct deficit in 2010MOSCOW — Russia will next year run a budget deficit equivalent to 7.5 percent of annual economic output, the highest deficit the country can afford without hurting economic stability, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Thursday. Russia is facing its biggest economic test in a decade and is this year running a budget deficit of 9.4 percent of gross domestic product — its first deficit in a decade.

July 30th, 2009 Russia to run 7.5 pct budget deficit next yearMOSCOW — Russia will next year run a budget deficit equivalent to 7.5 percent of annual economic output, the highest deficit the country can afford, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Thursday. Russia is facing its biggest economic test in a decade and is this year running a budget deficit of 9.4 percent of gross domestic product — its first deficit in a decade.

July 7th, 2009 Putin says Obama meeting went wellMOSCOW — Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says his first meeting with President Barack Obama went "very well." The former Russian president called the two-hour meeting "substantive, informative and collaborative." Putin told reporters he and Obama "covered the issues from previous years" and found "many positives" and "many points in common." Obama also had good things to say about their meeting Tuesday, and said he found Putin's views similar to those of Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev. Before heading to Russia, Obama had described Putin as still having a confrontational Cold War mentality, while the younger Medvedev seemed to understand that it was time for a new approach to U.S.-Russia relations.

July 3rd, 2009 Spokesman: Obama wrong about Russian premier PutinMOSCOW — President Barack Obama was wrong to suggest Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin remains partially mired in a Cold War mindset and is sure to change his opinion when they meet next week in Moscow, Putin's spokesman said Friday. Obama said in an interview Thursday with The Associated Press that Putin needs to understand "that the old Cold War approaches to U.S.-Russian relations is outdated, that it's time to move forward in a different direction." Obama said he believes Russian President Dmitry Medvedev "understands that," but Putin "has one foot in the old ways of doing business and one foot in the new." Obama makes his first trip as U.S.

July 3rd, 2009 Putin responds to Obama's criticismMOSCOW — Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says the U.S. president is wrong to suggest he remains mired in a Cold War mindset.

June 12th, 2009 Putin sends 85th birthday wishes to Bush Sr.MOSCOW — Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has sent a telegram wishing former U.S. President George H.W.

June 10th, 2009 Russia might abandon nukes if other countries doMOSCOW — Russian news agencies are quoting Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as saying that Russia is willing to abandon nuclear weapons if the United States and all other countries that have them do the same. State-owned RIA Novosti quotes Putin as saying that, "if those who made the atomic bomb and used it are ready to abandon it — like, I hope, other nuclear powers — of course we will welcome and facilitate this process in all ways." Interfax and RIA Novosti reported that Putin made the comments during a meeting Wednesday with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

June 1st, 2009 MOSCOW - Russia is ready to buy $10 billion worth of bonds from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said. Putin said the money would be used to help countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

April 23rd, 2009 MOSCOW - There is outrage in the ruling United Russia party over a new brand of ice cream bearing the name of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. The local branch of the party in Lipezk is angry about what it called the lack of political good taste and the profanation of his name, the Novaya Gazeta newspaper reported Wednesday.