The government's work has become much better and more efficient under Vladimir Putin's premiership, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview with ABC published on Monday.
The president said despite having differing opinions on issues, both he and Putin have good professional relations and personal relationship.
"The decision is taken by the person who is designated to do it by law. If you consider the questions of foreign and domestic politics, the defense, the security, this is only the president. And nobody else," Medvedev said.
The Russian president also said that sometimes he would have been glad to share his responsibilities with someone else "especially in very dramatic periods."
Medvedev elaborated on the comment using the example of the August 2008 military conflict between Russia and Georgia.
"But I cannot state that that decision was not taken by me, or I bear the responsibility for that with other colleagues like Putin or others. I do hold personally the responsibility for that. And I'm not ashamed of that decision. But I would say the most important and most complicated decisions I have to take myself," he said.
He claimed that he has already become annoyed with questions by journalists about his relations and the sharing of power with Putin.
Medvedev added that statements also differ between President Barack Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden.
"And how does the relationship work between Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden? They also sometimes speak [about] different things. They even have different backgrounds, different biographies, and probably a different set of opinions about the world and its situation. But it does work," Medvedev said.
MOSCOW, April 12 (RIA Novosti)
