Last press conference of Vladimir Putin: I am pleased of my achievements

Russian President Vladimir Putin has held his last press conference as head of state at Kremlin, saying he was pleased of what he has done as leader of Russia for the past decade. He said he was never tempted to run for a third time as it would have been against the Constitution of the country and that he never felt the addiction that some say power creates among those that have it.

When prompted about who would win US presidential race and the times when he and Bush would no longer be heads of state, Putin said that the Russian people will respect the decision of Americans and the best politician to cater for the needs of the voters will win. Putin said he was confident that Russian-US relations would always be open to talks, as interests of the two countries impose a mutual open relation.

While he spoke of the openness between Russia and Ukraine, he affirmed once again today that Russia would be forced to turn its missiles towards any target seen as threat for its national security.