Vladimir Putin said that his presidency is more than just a job for him and should rather be treated as his “destiny”, Russian media revealed.
“Is it really possible to get tired of this [job]? [It is] pure pleasure. I perfectly understand your question, and I am very grateful to the people who are concerned about this”, the president said during a meeting with members of the public in the Russian city of Ivanovo.
Russian President Vladimir Putin poses for pictures with citizens of Saint Petersburg after laying flowers to the city's first mayor Anatoly Sobchak's monument on 19 February
© Sputnik / Alexei Druzhinin
/ “It is not that I am tired or I want to leave [the presidency] aside … You know, I am sure that any person in my position would think of this [presidency] as not about just work, but as a destiny, therefore I relate to this [like to destiny]”, Putin argued.
During the meeting, he also thanked people for their support during his four terms as president and time as prime minister.
Putin first assumed office in 2000 and served as president until May 2008. He then assumed the role of Russian prime minister during Dmitry Medvedev’s presidency until being re-elected as president in 2012.
Putin is now serving his fourth presidential term and is expected to step down in 2024. He recently suggested amendments to the Russian constitution to limit the number of presidential terms someone can serve, suggesting that two should be the overall maximum.
