MOSCOW, November 12 (RIA Novosti) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that being labeled the world’s most powerful person by Forbes magazine this year has made him “more cautious,” his first-ever public comment on the issue.
“I appreciate Forbes experts’ opinion, but I personally believe that, first, it always makes you cautious because it limits you a little bit – it can limit you – let's say, in making decisions,” Putin said in an interview with South Korea’s KBS broadcaster ahead of a visit to Seoul.
“I prefer to pay less attention to such things,” he said, according to an English-language transcript provided by the Kremlin press office. “If you pay too much attention to that, it is going to influence the decision-making process. And this would be most regrettable.”
In October, Putin was promoted to the top spot of the Forbes’ most powerful people list from third place in 2012. The Russian leader this year was followed by US President Barack Obama and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
