Russia's then President Vladimir Putin and Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin speak to each other during a meeting of Russia's economic ministers in Moscow, in this file photo taken March 19, 2004.ALEXANDER NATRUSKIN/Reuters
A senior member of the Russian government has opened a rare public breach with the Kremlin, saying he would refuse to stay on under the leadership reshuffling announced over the weekend, in which the president and prime minister will change places.
Aleksei Kudrin, Russia's long-serving finance minister, said Sunday he would no longer work in the government if President Dmitry Medvedev becomes prime minister, because of what he called irresponsible spending decisions by Mr. Medvedev.
Mr. Kudrin's remarks were the first to suggest that the leadership swap announced on Saturday, which sent a ripple of surprise among senior ministers, could lead to further turmoil and reorganization at the highest levels of government.
Several Russian officials said Sunday that they had no warning of the decision that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin planned to return as president after elections in March, which he is assured of winning, and appoint Mr. Medvedev as prime minister, despite Mr. Putin's assertion on Saturday that that deal had been sealed "several years ago."
The change means that all ministers will report to Mr. Medvedev, suddenly a diminished figure in Russian politics.
Mr. Kudrin has close ties with Mr. Putin, and was said to be a top candidate for prime minister himself.
"I do not see myself in the new government," he said, in remarks that were reported by Russian news agencies on Sunday. "It is not just that I have not been offered the job, but I think that those differences of opinion that I have, they do not allow me to join this government."
Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Washington, he added, "I have differences with Medvedev on economic policy, they basically have to do with considerable spending on military goals."
His comments laid bare tension that has been kept under wraps while Russian leaders negotiated a reshuffle at the top of the government. Some analysts and former officials said Mr. Kudrin may feel that he had been sidelined.
"Kudrin is expanding his status and authority by explaining that he will only work directly with Putin," Mikhail Kasyanov, who served as prime minister under Mr. Putin from 2000 until 2004, said in a telephone interview. "He is minimizing his dependence on Medvedev."
Before the announcement, "nobody knew" of the planned swap, said Mr. Kasyanov, who now leads an opposition political party, the People's Freedom Party. "Putin conducts everything as if in the framework of a special operation. He doesn't let anybody know, and nobody knew."
Mr. Kudrin's threat injects uncertainty into the new government structure outlined on Saturday. He has been an essential player on Mr. Putin's governing team for two decades. Foreign investors view him as a key proponent of privatization and other reform, as well as a hedge against financial chaos.
Mr. Kudrin explained that he objected to Mr. Medvedev's approval of a $65-billion (U.S.) increase in military spending over three years. Just this increase, he said, would equal Russia's total expenditure on education at all levels, including universities.
He said the decisions pose macroeconomic as well budgetary risks.
Mr. Kudrin also warned that Russia's pension fund has a deficit of $31-billion, endangering pension reforms begun in 2008. "The incoming government," he said, "will have to address these problems, including balancing the budgetary system, lowering risks in the macroeconomic sphere; in this case Mr. Medvedev's new team will have to solve these problems."
He said it was too early to say whether he would accept a position reporting to Mr. Putin.
The New York Times News Service