Medvedev Will Name Putin Next Prime Minister

One day after Vladimir Putin backed his loyal deputy Dmitri Medvedev as his successor, Medvedev said on Russian television that he would name Putin as the country's next prime minister. Medvedev, who has never run for office and has little clout inside the Kremlin, will allow Putin to continue to wield power in Russia after he steps down as president next March, the New York Times reports.

"I find it extremely important for our country to keep Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin at the most important position in the executive power," Medvedev said in his speech. Some analysts  predict that Medvedev might even step down before serving a full term, allowing Putin to return to the top job. “All Medvedev has is that he is a creature of Putin,” a Russian expert told the Times. “There is no Medvedev without Putin.” (More Vladimir Putin stories.)