Vladimir Putin confirmed today that he plans to become prime minister after stepping down as president next month and said that he expected to exercise maximum power in that post.

But in his final Kremlin press conference as President, Mr Putin denied that he had become addicted to power and said that he had "never been tempted" to change the constitution so he could enjoy another term in office.

“All these eight years I worked like a slave, from morning to night,” he said. “They say the biggest addiction is to power, but I have never felt this."

Mr Putin's chosen successor, Dmitry Medvedev, looks all but certain to win a March 2 presidential election that Mr Putin's critics say has been rigged and the Russian President had already flagged his intention to serve as his premier.

"I’m ready to work as prime minister," he said today.

That post has been largely emasculated under Putin's reign at the Kremlin and the current incumbent, Viktor Zubkov, is seen as a faceless bureaucrat. That would not be the case if Mr Putin is handed the job.

“The president is the guarantor of the constitution. He sets the main directions for internal and external policies. But the highest executive power in the country is the Russian government, headed by the prime minister,” Mr Putin said.

“The responsibilities given to the prime minister are very big,” he added. “I assure you that there will be no problems."

In a packed and lengthy press conference, Mr Putin also lashed out at Western support for independence in Kosovo and gave warning that Russia would target missiles at former Soviet bloc countries considering joining Nato - such as Ukraine - or hosting a US missile defence shield - a reference to both the Czech Republic or Poland.

Looking at his legacy after eight years in office, Mr Putin painted a rosy picture of Russia’s booming economy and strengthening statehood. “I don’t see any serious failures,” he said. “All the goals we set were achieved."

Mr Putin referred to steadily rising GDP growth and an easing-off in 2007 of Russia’s catastrophic demographic decline. He said Russia was now “one of the economic leaders” on a par with Thailand, Malaysia and other Asian tigers.

He acknowledged that Russia faced a problem with rising inflation, currently running at almost 12 percent, and said “we could have done some things more effectively".

But overall he described his own achievements as historic, saying that in the 1990s “we didn’t have a united country - we didn’t even have a national anthem” and under his rule, "We founded a state."

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