The Russian leader, whose second and final presidential term ends next year, told a wide-ranging news conference in Moscow he will not voice his own preference until the campaign opens.
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Turning to foreign policy, Mr. Putin He said his country will counter any U.S. missile deployment with "next-generation" missiles capable of penetrating any missile defense system. He was referring to U.S. proposals for deploying an anti-missile defense system at sites in Eastern Europe as a counter to threats from Iran, North Korea, and terrorist groups.
Mr. Putin also hailed Russia's strong economic performance, noting that Russia lowered its annual inflation rate last year to under 10 percent for the first time in recent history.
He rejected accusations that Russia uses its economic dominance in worldwide oil and gas markets to achieve foreign political ends.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.