ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, June 4 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday sidestepped a question on whether or not he would stay in power until 2036, saying that it was too early to talk about the issue and that in any case only God knew if he would be healthy enough.
Asked by Reuters at a meeting in St. Petersburg with senior editors of news agencies if he would serve until 2036 and whether or not he felt he had the stamina and health to serve that long, Putin said:
"Only God knows if we have enough health - for me, for you, and for everyone gathered here, in order to live until tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and even more so to solve some of the tasks we face, to achieve the goals that we set for ourselves."
Putin, in power as either president or prime minister since 1999, said that the constitution allowed him to run again in 2030 and serve another term until 2036 if he won.
"Indeed, the Constitution allows me to run in 2030, but I think it's too early to talk about it. To be honest, it's very early. I'm not even thinking about it right now. I'm being completely honest. I don't even think about it," Putin said.
"The country faces a lot of large-scale and pressing issues. They need to be solved without thinking about it, but thinking about the future of Russia."
(Reporting by Mark Bendeich, Darya Korsunskaya and Reuters reporters in Moscow and St Petersburg; editing by Guy Faulconbridge/Andrew Osborn )
