Putin "we will see" in 2012 about Kremlin return

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that "we will see" in 2012 whether he will run again for president.

Asked by a reporter after his annual question-and-answer session whether he would rule out returning to the Kremlin next year as Russia's president, Putin said:

"We will have to get through to 2012, then we will see."

When asked if he would resign as prime minister, Putin said there was no need to do so at the current time and that he had never tried to run away from problems.

(Reporting by Denis Dyomkin, writing by Guy Faulconbridge, editing by Michael Stott)