Putin says succession is always on his mind
There is no clear successor to President Vladimir Putin though under the Russian constitution. (Kremlin/AP pic)
MOSCOW : Russian President Vladimir Putin, the longest serving Kremlin chief since Josef Stalin, said in remarks aired on Sunday that he was always thinking about the succession, and suggested that there could be a contest between several candidates.
Putin, a former KGB lieutenant colonel who was handed the presidency on the last day of 1999 by Boris Yeltsin, served as president from 1999 to 2008, then as prime minister until 2012, and then again as president from 2012 to the present.
'I always think about it,' Putin, 72, said when asked if he thought about the succession in a film by state television about Putin's quarter of a century as Russia's paramount leader entitled 'Russia, Kremlin, Putin, 25 years'.
'Ultimately, the choice is for the people, for the Russian people,' Putin said. 'I think that there should be a person, or rather several people, so that the people have a choice.'
There is no clear successor to Putin though under the Russian constitution. If the president was unable to fulfil his duties, then the prime minister – currently Mikhail Mishustin – would assume presidential powers.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
14 hours ago
- The Sun
EU proposes lowering Russia oil price cap in new sanctions
BRUSSELS: The European Union on Tuesday proposed slashing a price cap on Russia's global oil exports, as part of a new package of sanctions over the Ukraine war. The move comes ahead of a G7 summit in Canada next week where allies will push US President Donald Trump to be more aggressive in punishing the Kremlin. 'We are ramping up pressure on Russia, because strength is the only language that Russia will understand,' European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said. 'Our message is very clear, this war must end. We need a real ceasefire, and Russia has to come to the negotiating table with a serious proposal.' The European Commission, the EU's executive, suggested cutting the current oil price cap from $60 to $45 as Moscow drags its feet on a ceasefire in Ukraine. The cap is a G7 initiative aimed at limiting the amount of money Russia makes by exporting oil to countries across the world. The oil price cap, set at $60 by the G7 in 2022, is designed to limit the price Moscow can sell oil around the world by banning shipping firms and insurance companies dealing with Russia to export above that amount. To have most impact the EU and other G7 partners need to get the United States to follow suit and agree to the cut in the level. But Trump so far has frustrated Western allies by refusing to impose sanctions on Russia despite President Vladimir Putin's failure to agree a Ukraine ceasefire. 'My assumption is that we do that together as G7,' von der Leyen said. 'We have started that as G7, it was successful as a measure from the G7, and I want to continue this measure as G7.' European leaders last month threatened Moscow with 'massive' sanctions if it did not agree a truce, but there has been no major progress in US-led peace efforts. 'Russia lies about its desire for peace. Putin is taking the world for a ride. Together with the United States, we can really force Putin to negotiate seriously,' EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. As part of its 18th round of sanctions since Russia's 2022 invasion, the EU also proposed measures to stop the defunct Nord Stream gas pipelines from being brought back online. Officials said they would also look to target some 70 more vessels in the 'shadow fleet' of ageing tankers used by Russia to circumvent oil export curbs. The EU in addition is looking to sever ties with a further 22 Russian banks and add more companies, including in China, to a blacklist of those helping Moscow's military. One EU diplomat described the latest proposals as 'one of the most substantive and significant packages we've discussed recently'. 'It will hurt Russia's ability to finance its war machine. Now let's see how the discussions evolve.' The sanctions will need to be agreed by all 27 EU countries, and could face opposition from Moscow-friendly countries Hungary and Slovakia.
Malay Mail
18 hours ago
- Malay Mail
EU defence chief warns of ‘perfect storm' as Europe rearms, US support hangs in balance
BRUSSELS, June 10 — Europe is facing a 'perfect storm' on defence as it presses to rearm in the face of Russian aggression and doubts over US engagement, the EU's defence commissioner said today. 'Our readiness for defence is not sufficient. It demands an urgent ramp-up and a longer-term strategy how to replace American capabilities in Europe,' commissioner Andrius Kubilius said. 'The forthcoming American withdrawal from Europe is a new reality.' Kubilius said Europe needs to avoid an 'angry divorce' with Washington as US President Donald Trump's administration weighs shifting forces from the continent. Nato countries look set to agree at a summit in The Hague later in the month to massively ramp up defence spending in a bid to keep Trump on side. The EU for its part has launched a raft of initiatives worth some €800 billion aimed at helping countries bolster their defences. Next week, Brussels is set to unveil proposals designed to slash red tape to allow Europe's defence industry to bolster production. 'Without this simplification, nothing else in defence readiness will be possible to achieve,' Kubilius said. 'Red alert against red tape — bureaucracy must not be an obstacle to our defence.' The call from the top EU official overseeing the defence industry comes after Nato chief Mark Rutte yesterday reiterated a warning that Russia could be ready to attack the alliance in five years. Rutte called for a 'quantum leap' on defence preparations and said that Nato needed to boost its air defences by 400 per cent to face the threat. — AFP
Free Malaysia Today
19 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Russian drone strikes hit Kyiv, maternity ward in Odesa
The overnight attacks follow Russia's biggest drone strike on Ukraine yesterday. (AP pic) KYIV : Russia launched another large drone attack on Ukraine, striking Kyiv and damaging a maternity ward in the southern port of Odesa, regional officials said early today. The overnight attacks follow Russia's biggest drone strike on Ukraine yesterday – part of intensified operations that Moscow said were retaliatory measures for Kyiv's recent brazen attacks inside Russia. Medics were called to four districts of Kyiv a couple hours after midnight today, including the historic Podil neighbourhood, mayor Vitali Klitschko said on the Telegram messaging app. The military said the strikes were still ongoing and urged people to seek bomb shelters. The full scale of the attack was not immediately clear. 'Enemy drones are simultaneously attacking several districts of the city,' Timur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's military administration said on the Telegram messaging app. 'There is damage to residential buildings and fires. Rescuers are working at the sites.' Reuters' witnesses heard a series of loud explosions throughout the city. In the southern port of Odesa, a 'massive' drone attack targeted an emergency medical building and a maternity ward, as well as residential buildings, Oleh Kiper, governor of the broader Odesa region said on Telegram. Regarding the maternity hospital there were no casualties and patients and staff were evacuated, Kiper said. He posted photos of broken windows in what looked like a medical facility and of damages to facades of several buildings. Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war that Russia launched against Ukraine more than three years ago. But thousands of civilians have been killed in the conflict, the chief majority of them Ukrainian.
