Putin sidesteps a question on whether or not he will stay in power until 2036

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 )

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