MOSCOW (Reuters) – A plan by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to launch a new political movement is likely to strengthen his power base at the expense of President Dmitry Medvedev in the run-up to next year’s presidential election.

Putin and Medvedev have avoided saying which of them will run in the March 2012 vote, but the prime minister is creating the People’s Front to broaden the base of his ruling party and increase support before a parliamentary election in December.

MOSCOW (Reuters) – A plan by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to launch a new political movement is likely to strengthen his power base at the expense of President Dmitry Medvedev in the run-up to next year’s presidential election.

Putin and Medvedev have avoided saying which of them will run in the March 2012 vote, but the prime minister is creating the People’s Front to broaden the base of his ruling party and increase support before a parliamentary election in December.

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Dmitry Medvedev took aim at Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s new “All-Russian People’s Front” Thursday, saying no party can consider itself dominant by default and vowing to ensure political competition.

Putin and Medvedev have avoided saying which of them will run in the March 2012 presidential vote, though Putin has created a new movement to broaden the base of his ruling party and increase support before the December parliamentary election.

SOCHI, Russia (Reuters) – Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Thursday his initiative to broaden the base of the ruling United Russia party — which has slipped in popularity polls — would reinforce the country’s unity.

Analysts say Putin, who has not ruled out a return to the presidency in March 2012, is trying to bolster the ruling party to consolidate his power base for a potential presidential bid. He was previously president from 2000 to 2008.

COPENHAGEN, April 26 (Reuters) – Russia’s richest man,
metals tycoon Vladimir Lisin, said on Tuesday that his business
empire was indifferent to he strengthening rouble and expressed
hope a grain export ban will be lifted soon.

Some of Russia’s most prominent business leaders raised
concern over the strong rouble at a recent meeting with Prime
Minister Vladimir Putin, saying it was hurting producers and
calling for a cap.

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin sharply criticized the Western coalition attacking Libya on Tuesday, saying it had neither a right nor a mandate to kill Muammar Gaddafi.

Putin said the coalition had gone beyond the bounds of a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing intervention to protect civilians and suggested Gaddafi’s actions did not justify foreign interference, let alone attempts to remove him.

MOSCOW, April 25 (Reuters) – Russian Prime Minister Vladimir
Putin will discuss technology and Arctic energy resources when
he visits Sweden and Denmark this week, a senior government
official said on Monday.

Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s deputy chief of staff, told reporters
that Russian gas major Gazprom (GAZP.MM: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) plans to sign a letter
of intent with Danish state-owned DONG Energy on gas drilling in
the Arctic during the visit.

MOSCOW, April 21 (Reuters) – Russian Prime Minister Vladimir
Putin promised the country’s richest men on Thursday a bigger
say in decisions that will shape the economy after the 2012
presidential election.

Putin, who has said he may stand in the election in place of
his partner in the ruling tandem President Dmitry Medvedev,
poured rare praise on the tycoons, saying they had played a key
role in improving economic performance.

MOSCOW, April 20 (Reuters) – Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
said on Wednesday Russia was emerging powerfully from the global
financial crisis but must reduce its reliance on energy and raw
materials to see off external threats to its economy.

In a speech to parliament, he did not say whether he and
President Dmitry Medvedev had agreed which of them would run in
next year’s presidential election but underlined his own
credentials by outlining his government’s economic achievements.

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday Russia was emerging powerfully from the global financial crisis but must reduce its reliance on energy and raw materials to see off external threats to its economy.

In his last annual report to parliament before a presidential election in March 2012, Putin said inflation would not exceed 6.5 to 7.5 percent in 2011 and that gross domestic product grew by 4.4 percent in the first quarter of the year.