Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has said he will continue to work with former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin.
Kudrin resigned last week following a public row with President Dmitry Medvedev, who is set to swap roles with Putin next year.
“I have talked with Alexei Leonidovich about this,” Putin told an investment forum in Moscow on Thursday.
“Despite this emotional outburst, Alexei Leonidovich will remain part of our team,” Putin said. “He is a useful man for us.”
“I’d like to tell you that this is both my opinion and the opinion of President Medvedev.”
In a resignation statement, Kudrin criticized the government’s budget policy and accused it of taking risks despite his objections.
The liberal official, largely credited with helping Russia weather the global financial crisis, earlier said he would not sit in a cabinet headed by Medvedev.