Vladimir Putin, speaking at his annual televised question-and-answer session, said: "I think I will manage to maintain the most important thing for a politician - your trust. And, using this, together we can influence the life in our country."
The prospect of President Vladimir Putin remaining in power for a third presidential term when his current term runs out in 2008 has been widely debated in Russia, although the president himself has repeatedly said he will not run again.
"I have already said that although I like my job, the Constitution gives me no right to run for a third term," the president told viewers.
An initiative to hold a nationwide referendum on a third presidential term came in early September from a Russian civic movement, but Russia's Central Election Commission later rejected the move.
Another possibility that has been suggested is that Putin resume the presidency in 2012, since the Constitution specifies only consecutive terms in office, without imposing a limit on the total number.
