President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/vladimir-putin-thanks-donald-trump-for-intelligence-that-foiled-attack-270901">Vladimir&nbsp;Putin</a>&nbsp;accelerated a&nbsp;shake-up&nbsp;of Russia's&nbsp;political&nbsp;system on Monday, submitting a constitutional reform blueprint to parliament that will create a&nbsp;new&nbsp;center&nbsp;of&nbsp;power&nbsp;outside the presidency.

Putin&nbsp;also replaced Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika, who had held the role since 2006, a move suggesting his planned changes could reach beyond the&nbsp;political&nbsp;system and the government.

<img alt="Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Speaker of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="28d18bd7-fffc-4b99-a230-cb40fe7d931a" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%287%29_16.jpg" />

In a surprise move,&nbsp;Putin&nbsp;announced plans for reforms last week. Long-time ally <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-should-get-tougher-on-doping-prime-minister-dmitry-medvedev-266468">Dmitry Medvedev</a> then resigned as prime minister along with the government, saying he wanted to allow room for the president to make the changes.

Putin's proposed changes are widely seen as giving him scope to retain influence once his term expires in 2024 though he said at the weekend he did not favour the Soviet-era practice of having leaders for life who die in office.

In draft amendments submitted to the State Duma lower house,&nbsp;Putin&nbsp;offered a glimpse of how his reforms look on paper. Under his plan, some of the president's broad&nbsp;powers would be clipped and parliament's&nbsp;powers expanded.

In one of the biggest changes, the status of the State Council, now a low-profile body that advises the president, would for the first time be enshrined in the constitution.

<img alt="Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin " data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="8093fbc6-1282-4cf2-9bb4-434071bf00ed" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%286%29_19.jpg" />

Putin, 67, has not disclosed what he plans to do once he leaves the Kremlin. One option could be to head the beefed-up&nbsp;State Council once he leaves the presidency.

Under his proposals, the president would pick the make-up&nbsp;of the State Council which would be handed broader&nbsp;powers to "determine the main directions of domestic and foreign policy."

His changes also envisage preventing any future president from serving more than two terms.&nbsp;Putin&nbsp;first became president in 2000 and is now in his fourth term as head of state.

Chaika, 68, has long been one of the most&nbsp;powerful figures in the&nbsp;Russian&nbsp;justice system and has faced allegations of corruption from the&nbsp;political&nbsp;opposition which he denies.

The Kremlin said Chaika was moving to another, unspecified, job and proposed <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/vladimir-putin-replaces-powerful-top-prosecutor-275496">Igor Krasnov</a>, deputy head of the Investigative Committee, which handles major crimes, to replace him.

Krasnov, 44, has led high-profile criminal investigations including the inquiry into the murder of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, who was shot dead near the Kremlin in 2015.

Russia's opposition said on Monday it planned to stage a protest march next month against the reforms.

"Society needs a big and genuinely mass protest," wrote opposition politician Ilya Yashin, who said&nbsp;Putin's changes amounted to a move to "rule forever".

The Duma is due to discuss&nbsp;Putin's amendments on Thursday.

Putin&nbsp;has said the public will be invited to vote on the proposed changes.

Andrei Klishas, a senior lawmaker involved in drafting the legislation, said the vote might be held once parliament approved the legislation, the RIA&nbsp;news agency reported.

President Vladimir Putin accelerated a shake-up of Russia's political system on Monday, submitting a constitutional reform blueprint to parliament that will create a new center of power outside the presidency.

President Vladimir Putin accelerated a shake-up of Russia's political system on Monday, submitting a constitutional reform blueprint to parliament that will create a new center of power outside the presidency. Putin also replaced Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika, who had held the role since 2006, a move suggesting his planned changes could reach beyond the political system and the government. In a surprise move, Putin announced plans for reforms last week. Long-time ally Dmitry Medvedev then resigned as prime minister along with the government, saying he wanted to allow room for the president to make the changes. Putin's proposed changes are widely seen as giving him scope to retain influence once his term expires in 2024 though he said at the weekend he did not favour the Soviet-era practice of having leaders for life who die in office. In draft amendments submitted to the State Duma lower house, Putin offered a glimpse of how his reforms look on paper. Under his plan, some of the president's broad powers would be clipped and parliament's powers expanded. In one of the biggest changes, the status of the State Council, now a low-profile body that advises the president, would for the first time be enshrined in the constitution. Putin, 67, has not disclosed what he plans to do once he leaves the Kremlin. One option could be to head the beefed-up State Council once he leaves the presidency. Under his proposals, the president would pick the make-up of the State Council which would be handed broader powers to "determine the main directions of domestic and foreign policy." His changes also envisage preventing any future president from serving more than two terms. Putin first became president in 2000 and is now in his fourth term as head of state. Chaika, 68, has long been one of the most powerful figures in the Russian justice system and has faced allegations of corruption from the political opposition which he denies. The Kremlin said Chaika was moving to another, unspecified, job and proposed Igor Krasnov, deputy head of the Investigative Committee, which handles major crimes, to replace him. Krasnov, 44, has led high-profile criminal investigations including the inquiry into the murder of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, who was shot dead near the Kremlin in 2015. Russia's opposition said on Monday it planned to stage a protest march next month against the reforms. "Society needs a big and genuinely mass protest," wrote opposition politician Ilya Yashin, who said Putin's changes amounted to a move to "rule forever". The Duma is due to discuss Putin's amendments on Thursday. Putin has said the public will be invited to vote on the proposed changes. Andrei Klishas, a senior lawmaker involved in drafting the legislation, said the vote might be held once parliament approved the legislation, the RIA news agency reported.

Putin speeds up Russian political shake-up, details new power centre

Russian investigators said on Thursday they had opened two criminal cases into the management of a company involved in building the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-launches-11-space-satellites-without-glitch-31481/amp">Vostochny Cosmodrome</a>, a&nbsp;space&nbsp;centre&nbsp;in the country's the Far East.

The announcement came less than two weeks&nbsp;after&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/kremlin-confirms-putin-to-take-part-in-ukrainian-peace-summit-in-paris-262934">President Vladimir&nbsp;Putin</a>&nbsp;complained to government officials about corruption at the facility and called for further&nbsp;investigations.

Construction of the Vostochny Cosmodrome began in January 2011, part of a plan for&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;to reduce its dependency on the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;leases from the former Soviet Republic for&nbsp;space&nbsp;operations.

But&nbsp;Putin&nbsp;told government officials earlier this month he was dismayed by the level of graft there.

"Hundreds of millions have been stolen. Hundreds of millions. Several dozen criminal cases have already been initiated. There have already been court decisions, people are in prison," said&nbsp;Putin.

His spokesman, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/fears-as-russian-mps-consider-foreign-agent-tag-for-bloggers-journalists-263199">Dmitry Peskov</a>, said later that 11 billion roubles ($172.45 million) of a total 91 billion roubles allocated to the project had been stolen.

Investigators said on Thursday that they were looking into allegations that&nbsp;fraudulent financial documents had led to the theft of 240 million roubles ($3.8 million) between November 2018 and May 2019.

Top officials at the Cosmodrome said they were in control of the situation and that any violations would immediately be passed to law enforcement officers, the RIA news agency reported.

The Vostochny Cosmodrome, whose name comes from the&nbsp;Russian word meaning 'Eastern', is situated in the Amur region on the border with China.

Russian investigators said on Thursday they had opened two criminal cases into the management of a company involved in building the Vostochny Cosmodrome, a space centre in the country's the Far East.

Russian investigators said on Thursday they had opened two criminal cases into the management of a company involved in building the Vostochny Cosmodrome, a space centre in the country's the Far East. The announcement came less than two weeks after President Vladimir Putin complained to government officials about corruption at the facility and called for further investigations. Construction of the Vostochny Cosmodrome began in January 2011, part of a plan for Russia to reduce its dependency on the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which Russia leases from the former Soviet Republic for space operations. But Putin told government officials earlier this month he was dismayed by the level of graft there. "Hundreds of millions have been stolen. Hundreds of millions. Several dozen criminal cases have already been initiated. There have already been court decisions, people are in prison," said Putin. His spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said later that 11 billion roubles ($172.45 million) of a total 91 billion roubles allocated to the project had been stolen. Investigators said on Thursday that they were looking into allegations that fraudulent financial documents had led to the theft of 240 million roubles ($3.8 million) between November 2018 and May 2019. Top officials at the Cosmodrome said they were in control of the situation and that any violations would immediately be passed to law enforcement officers, the RIA news agency reported. The Vostochny Cosmodrome, whose name comes from the Russian word meaning 'Eastern', is situated in the Amur region on the border with China.

Russia opens investigation into space center fraud after Putin rebuke

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will hold a summit meeting on June 29, when Putin visits Japan for a meeting of leaders of the Group of 20 nations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.

Senior officials and political leaders from both countries have held talks frequently in recent months to discuss ways to put an end to a decades-old territorial dispute and conclude a peace treaty.

"With eyes on the Russia-Japan summit meeting at the time of the G20 summit in Osaka, we made checks on the state of progress in Russia-Japan relations," Lavrov told reporters after meeting his Japanese counterpart, Taro Kono.

Lavrov's comment, in Russian, was translated into Japanese at a joint news conference with Kono.

Japan claims a string of Russia-controlled western Pacific islands, called the Northern Territories in Japan and Southern Kuriles in Russia.

The territorial row over the island chain, seized by Soviet troops at the end of World War Two, has upset diplomatic relations ever since, precluding a formal peace treaty between the two countries.

Lavrov also said talks with Japan on five joint economic activity projects on the disputed islands were proceeding at a good pace, without elaborating.

Abe and Putin in 2016 agreed to launch talks on joint economic activities on the islands as a step toward concluding a peace treaty.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will hold a summit meeting on June 29, when Putin visits Japan for a meeting of leaders of the Group of 20 nations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will hold a summit meeting on June 29, when Putin visits Japan for a meeting of leaders of the Group of 20 nations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday. Senior officials and political leaders from both countries have held talks frequently in recent months to discuss ways to put an end to a decades-old territorial dispute and conclude a peace treaty. "With eyes on the Russia-Japan summit meeting at the time of the G20 summit in Osaka, we made checks on the state of progress in Russia-Japan relations," Lavrov told reporters after meeting his Japanese counterpart, Taro Kono. Lavrov's comment, in Russian, was translated into Japanese at a joint news conference with Kono. Japan claims a string of Russia-controlled western Pacific islands, called the Northern Territories in Japan and Southern Kuriles in Russia. The territorial row over the island chain, seized by Soviet troops at the end of World War Two, has upset diplomatic relations ever since, precluding a formal peace treaty between the two countries. Lavrov also said talks with Japan on five joint economic activity projects on the disputed islands were proceeding at a good pace, without elaborating. Abe and Putin in 2016 agreed to launch talks on joint economic activities on the islands as a step toward concluding a peace treaty.

Russia's Putin, Japan's Abe to hold summit meet on June 29

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has a positive influence on the world situation, said Russian President Vladimir&nbsp;Putin.

Putin&nbsp;made the remarks during an interview with the head of the China Media Group Shen Haixiong in Moscow, Russia at the end of May.

Putin&nbsp;said it is an obvious fact that the SCO has become a global organization, considering its members' contributions to the world's gross domestic product (GDP).

"After India and Pakistan officially joined the organization and formally started their work, it is clear that the SCO has become a global organization. This is an obvious fact. As you can see, the SCO member states account for one-fourth of the world's GDP, 43 per cent of the world's population, and 23 per cent of the global land territory. These are all tremendous resources and very impressive," said&nbsp;Putin.

The Russian president added that the rapid economic growth in some SCO member states will continue to provide new drivers to the world economy.

"In addition, there is the rapid growth of Asia's economy, especially China and India's economic gains, and Russia will also strive to provide new economic growth drivers to ensure the growth we need. This, along with our military potential, is a tremendous force. We, of course, do not intend to rival with other countries, but to protect the comprehensive, multifaceted cooperation among us [SCO members] and with other nations, to create the necessary conditions for such cooperation, no matter where or on which continents these countries are located," said&nbsp;Putin.

Uniting the strong powers of these nations will undoubtedly become an important factor promoting our own development, as well as influencing international situations, said&nbsp;Putin, who believes such influence will be positive.

This year, the SCO summit will be held in the coastal city of Qingdao in east China's Shandong Province from June 9 to 10.&nbsp;Putin&nbsp;said he would like to taste the seafood and famous beer in Qingdao.

"I like seafood and beer, but I think I will not drink too much. I'd like to have a try, and I will definitely see to that," he said.

The SCO was founded in 2001. It is an inter-governmental organization that comprises eight member states, namely China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.

Putin made the remarks during an interview with the head of the China Media Group Shen Haixiong in Moscow, Russia at the end of May

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has a positive influence on the world situation, said Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin made the remarks during an interview with the head of the China Media Group Shen Haixiong in Moscow, Russia at the end of May. Putin said it is an obvious fact that the SCO has become a global organization, considering its members' contributions to the world's gross domestic product (GDP). "After India and Pakistan officially joined the organization and formally started their work, it is clear that the SCO has become a global organization. This is an obvious fact. As you can see, the SCO member states account for one-fourth of the world's GDP, 43 per cent of the world's population, and 23 per cent of the global land territory. These are all tremendous resources and very impressive," said Putin. The Russian president added that the rapid economic growth in some SCO member states will continue to provide new drivers to the world economy. "In addition, there is the rapid growth of Asia's economy, especially China and India's economic gains, and Russia will also strive to provide new economic growth drivers to ensure the growth we need. This, along with our military potential, is a tremendous force. We, of course, do not intend to rival with other countries, but to protect the comprehensive, multifaceted cooperation among us [SCO members] and with other nations, to create the necessary conditions for such cooperation, no matter where or on which continents these countries are located," said Putin. Uniting the strong powers of these nations will undoubtedly become an important factor promoting our own development, as well as influencing international situations, said Putin, who believes such influence will be positive. This year, the SCO summit will be held in the coastal city of Qingdao in east China's Shandong Province from June 9 to 10. Putin said he would like to taste the seafood and famous beer in Qingdao. "I like seafood and beer, but I think I will not drink too much. I'd like to have a try, and I will definitely see to that," he said. The SCO was founded in 2001. It is an inter-governmental organization that comprises eight member states, namely China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.

SCO exerts positive influence on world situation: Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir&nbsp;Putin&nbsp;spoke highly of bilateral ties with China and said Chinese President Xi Jinping is a great partner and a reliable friend on Thursday.

Putin&nbsp;made the remarks in an exclusive interview with China Media Group's President Shen Haixiong at the Kremlin in Moscow, ahead of his attendance at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in east China's Qingdao City and state visit to China. This was the first exclusive interview given by&nbsp;Putin&nbsp;since he started the new presidential term and the first with the Chinese media at the Kremlin.

At the beginning of the interview,&nbsp;Putin&nbsp;said he appreciates the attention Shen has paid to Russia and took the opportunity to extend his best wishes to the Chinese people.

In response to a question about Russia's development direction he mentioned in his inauguration speech,&nbsp;Putin&nbsp;said the priority is to promote a sustainable development.

"You may have seen what I have said while I was assuming the new term of office as Russian president. The priority of our development is to promote the country's sustainable development, ensure economic growth, as well as develop an innovative economy, infrastructure, health care and education, and of course, ensure security," said&nbsp;Putin.

While the Chinese people are striving to realize the Chinese Dream proposed by President Xi, Putin&nbsp;also talked about the "Russian Dream" on different occasions at this year's State of the Nation Address. The Russian president elaborated the similarity shared by the two ideas.

"Russia and China are neighbours. The communications between us for centuries have profound historical roots and foundation. This has not come by chance. As neighbours, we have established a unique relationship in the world in recent decades. The relationship is indeed established on the basis of mutual benefits," said&nbsp;Putin.

Putin&nbsp;mentioned that Russia and China signed the Treaty of Good-neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation in 2001.

"The treaty is only a foundation, and also the roots of the edifice of bilateral relations that we have established. The edifice is becoming more and more colourful every year, with new floors being added continuously. It is also becoming higher and more solid as the natural outcome of the prolonged mutually beneficial relations," said&nbsp;Putin.

Putin&nbsp;said the main idea of President Xi's speech at the opening ceremony of 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is to improve the livelihood of the people, and Russia shares the same goal with China.

"Therefore, we are also thinking about how to build Russia-China relations, how to reach these goals and ensure external security, strengthen new mode of economic construction by promoting modern innovation, digital economy, genetic technology, the building of a modern harmonious society, as well as enhancing our capacity for economic governance. So we have much in common. I believe as long as we make efforts, we can make new achievements," said&nbsp;Putin.

Over the past five years,&nbsp;Putin&nbsp;and Xi have met for more than 20 times. In 2017 alone, the two leaders met five times. The Chinese people were impressed that&nbsp;Putin&nbsp;presented Xi with Russia's highest Order of St Andrew.

When asked about his impression about President Xi,&nbsp;Putin&nbsp;said President Xi is a great partner and a reliable friend.

"Perhaps President Xi is the only state leader who has ever celebrated my birthday with me. So far I haven't made such relations or arrangements with other foreign leaders, but I did it with President Xi. My birthday we spent together was simple, as I said publicly, and there was nothing secret about it. I can tell you that we had a cup of vodka and ordered some sausages -- we finished the day's work and he celebrated my birthday with me. This might seem irrelevant, but to talk about President Xi, this is where I would like to start," said the Russian president.

Putin&nbsp;added that President Xi is easy to get along with, and he is sincere with people.

"Meanwhile, he is a very trustworthy partner. I can say for sure that if we start to have a discussion about something, I would start out from my standpoint, I know that he would do the same, but we always make efforts to fulfil our duties. This is the first point. Secondly, to be honest, like many other world leaders, he strives for the greatest outcome of his work for the benefits of his people. He loves analyzing problems and is excellent at it. It is interesting to discuss international and economic issues with him. So for me, he is a great partner and a reliable friend," said&nbsp;Putin.

Putin&nbsp;is scheduled to pay a state visit to China on June 8-10 and attend the Qingdao Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

It will be&nbsp;Putin's first visit to China in a new presidential term and it will also be the first time for Xi and&nbsp;Putin&nbsp;to meet each other in this year, which will be of great significance to the planning of the development of China-Russia relations in the next phase.

At the beginning of the interview, Putin said he appreciates the attention Shen has paid to Russia and took the opportunity to extend his best wishes to the Chinese people

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke highly of bilateral ties with China and said Chinese President Xi Jinping is a great partner and a reliable friend on Thursday. Putin made the remarks in an exclusive interview with China Media Group's President Shen Haixiong at the Kremlin in Moscow, ahead of his attendance at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in east China's Qingdao City and state visit to China. This was the first exclusive interview given by Putin since he started the new presidential term and the first with the Chinese media at the Kremlin. At the beginning of the interview, Putin said he appreciates the attention Shen has paid to Russia and took the opportunity to extend his best wishes to the Chinese people. In response to a question about Russia's development direction he mentioned in his inauguration speech, Putin said the priority is to promote a sustainable development. "You may have seen what I have said while I was assuming the new term of office as Russian president. The priority of our development is to promote the country's sustainable development, ensure economic growth, as well as develop an innovative economy, infrastructure, health care and education, and of course, ensure security," said Putin. While the Chinese people are striving to realize the Chinese Dream proposed by President Xi, Putin also talked about the "Russian Dream" on different occasions at this year's State of the Nation Address. The Russian president elaborated the similarity shared by the two ideas. "Russia and China are neighbours. The communications between us for centuries have profound historical roots and foundation. This has not come by chance. As neighbours, we have established a unique relationship in the world in recent decades. The relationship is indeed established on the basis of mutual benefits," said Putin. Putin mentioned that Russia and China signed the Treaty of Good-neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation in 2001. "The treaty is only a foundation, and also the roots of the edifice of bilateral relations that we have established. The edifice is becoming more and more colourful every year, with new floors being added continuously. It is also becoming higher and more solid as the natural outcome of the prolonged mutually beneficial relations," said Putin. Putin said the main idea of President Xi's speech at the opening ceremony of 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is to improve the livelihood of the people, and Russia shares the same goal with China. "Therefore, we are also thinking about how to build Russia-China relations, how to reach these goals and ensure external security, strengthen new mode of economic construction by promoting modern innovation, digital economy, genetic technology, the building of a modern harmonious society, as well as enhancing our capacity for economic governance. So we have much in common. I believe as long as we make efforts, we can make new achievements," said Putin. Over the past five years, Putin and Xi have met for more than 20 times. In 2017 alone, the two leaders met five times. The Chinese people were impressed that Putin presented Xi with Russia's highest Order of St Andrew. When asked about his impression about President Xi, Putin said President Xi is a great partner and a reliable friend. "Perhaps President Xi is the only state leader who has ever celebrated my birthday with me. So far I haven't made such relations or arrangements with other foreign leaders, but I did it with President Xi. My birthday we spent together was simple, as I said publicly, and there was nothing secret about it. I can tell you that we had a cup of vodka and ordered some sausages -- we finished the day's work and he celebrated my birthday with me. This might seem irrelevant, but to talk about President Xi, this is where I would like to start," said the Russian president. Putin added that President Xi is easy to get along with, and he is sincere with people. "Meanwhile, he is a very trustworthy partner. I can say for sure that if we start to have a discussion about something, I would start out from my standpoint, I know that he would do the same, but we always make efforts to fulfil our duties. This is the first point. Secondly, to be honest, like many other world leaders, he strives for the greatest outcome of his work for the benefits of his people. He loves analyzing problems and is excellent at it. It is interesting to discuss international and economic issues with him. So for me, he is a great partner and a reliable friend," said Putin. Putin is scheduled to pay a state visit to China on June 8-10 and attend the Qingdao Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). It will be Putin's first visit to China in a new presidential term and it will also be the first time for Xi and Putin to meet each other in this year, which will be of great significance to the planning of the development of China-Russia relations in the next phase.

Russian President speaks highly of Sino-Russian ties, President Xi Jinping

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Putin speeds up Russian political shake-up, details new power centre

Russia opens investigation into space center fraud after Putin rebuke

Russia's Putin, Japan's Abe to hold summit meet on June 29

SCO exerts positive influence on world situation: Vladimir Putin

Russian President speaks highly of Sino-Russian ties, President Xi Jinping