AKIPRESS.COM - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that he has still not decided whether he will run for reelection next year.

"Not only have I not decided who I will run against, I have not decided whether I will run at all," Putin said during an international energy conference in Moscow.

It’s a statement Russians have heard before from the Kremlin leader, who is widely expected to run — and win — in the March election. In July, Putin made a similar comment in a wide-ranging interview with youths in the Black Sea city of Sochi. Putin has in the past waited until the last minute to officially announced his reelection bids.

Putin has been president or prime minister since 1999, LAtimes reported.