MOSCOW, December 6 (RIA Novosti) – Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Friday during a televised interview that there were no problems in his relationship with President Vladimir Putin.
“Everything’s OK between the president and me,” Medvedev said in response to a question about an apparent disagreement with Putin over the powers of criminal investigators.
While Putin and Medvedev are close political allies, Medvedev is more associated with liberal elements within the Russian government and occasional disagreements between the two men have been known to play out in public.
Medvedev spoke out last month against legislative changes that would allow investigators to open tax cases without the approval of the tax authorities, a rollback of 2011 reforms passed under his presidency.
The criticism prompted a sharp response from Putin, who, when asked about the measure, said that “if someone does not agree with something there is another way – resign from the Cabinet.”
Medvedev succeeded Putin as president in 2008, after which he appointed Putin his prime minister. When Medvedev’s presidential term came to an end four years later, Putin returned to the presidency and, in turn, appointed Medvedev prime minister.
