Vladimir Putin, on Friday, said he would respect the Russian constitution which bans anyone from serving more than two consecutive presidential terms.
This means he will step down from his position in 2024 when his current term expires.
Putin’s remarks were made to reporters at an economic forum in St Petersburg and broadcast on state TV.
He has stepped down as president once before in 2008, after serving two back-to-back terms, only to return in 2012 after doing a stint as prime minister, a maneuver he would be legally entitled to carry out again.
“I have always strictly abide by the constitution of the Russian Federation.
“In the constitution it’s clearly written that nobody can serve more than two terms in a row … I intend to abide by this rule,” Putin said.
Putin was re-elected in March, extending his tenure by six years, which would make him Moscow’s longest-serving leader since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.
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