MOSCOW, November 14 (RIA Novosti) – Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday that he sees no changes in his relations with Vladimir Putin who took over as president in May.
“As for my relations with the president, I had to comment on the issue many times. Nothing has changed since I started working in the government and my colleague Vladimir Putin was elected Russian president,” Medvedev said in an interview with Finnish media ahead of his visit to Finland.
Putin was inaugurated as president for a third term in May after a convincing victory in the March elections marred by allegations of vote fraud. He served four years as prime minister after being forced to stand down by the Constitution in 2008 and picking Medvedev as his successor.
Medvedev, 47, said he has known Putin for 21 or 22 years, the most part of his adult life.
“It has been a long time, you see. That’s why all is well,” he said.
Medvedev also denied recent speculations that Putin was suffering a serious health problem after flying a motorized hang glider in September to guide a flock of Siberian cranes toward their winter migration grounds.
“The president has to do sports to keep fit,” Medvedev said, “But thanks God, he is fine.”
Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov earlier said that Putin, a keen horse rider, judo black belt and amateur ice hockey player, had nothing but an ordinary sporting injury.