By Alexander Kolyandr
MOSCOW--Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would not
retain his post forever, but doesn't rule out running in 2018, and
said the Western sanctions against Moscow violate human rights and
are aimed at sowing discord in Russian society.
In an interview with the state-controlled TASS news agency
published Sunday, Mr. Putin, 62, said that for him to remain "in
the president's chair forever" is "not good, and detrimental for
the country, and I do not need it as well."
However, when asked whether he would stand for the re-election
in 2018, as the Constitution permits, Mr. Putin said, "it indeed
allows but it does not mean that I will make such decision. I will
proceed from the general context, domestic understanding and my
personal feelings."
Mr. Putin said it is too early to talk about the election, as
there is "much time ahead and a lot can change."
Mr. Putin became Russia's President in 2000, and after a
four-year stint as prime minister in 2008, when he retained much of
the power, he returned to the presidency in 2012 for six years.
In his interview Mr. Putin said Russia isn't planning to build a
new iron curtain between itself and the West, and won't permit
anyone to isolate it. Russia isn't building and won't build new
walls between the nations, Mr. Putin said.
"We realize the malignity of the 'iron curtain' for us, and
nobody is going to build a wall around us," he said.
Mr. Putin stands behind the businessmen and officials targeted
by Western sanctions, calling them his friends and saying they "are
Russian nationals, they consider themselves patriots of this
country and someone has decided they should be punished for
this."
The president called the sanctions "a gross violation of human
rights."
He said that by imposing the sanctions, the West was trying to
"punish my friends, whom I am not going to abandon...to sow discord
within the elites, and then maybe into the society."
Mr. Putin's words coincide with those of Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov , who on Saturday accused the West of
"seeking regime change" in his country by imposing sanctions
against Moscow.
Russia has stepped up its war of words with the West as tensions
remain at their highest since the end of the Cold War due to the
crisis in Ukraine. Since Moscow annexed the Ukrainian region of
Crimea in March, the U.S. and the European Union have imposed
sanctions against dozens of Russian individuals and companies,
resulting in an almost complete closure of international financial
markets for Russian firms.
Write to Alexander Kolyandr at Alexander.Kolyandr@wsj.com