Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview with AFP and Le Figaro on Monday that he is not ruling out a return to the Kremlin after his 2008-12 single term as Russian head of state but was happy working as premier under his mentor President Vladimir Putin.

"If I have sufficient strength and health, if our people trust me in the future with such a position, then of course I do not rule out such a turn of events."

"Never say never, especially as I swam in that river once, and this is a river that you can swim in twice," he said.