President Dmitry Medvedev said on Friday his drive to modernise Russia and shed crippling Soviet traditions needs more time to yield results, but left unclear whether he will seek a second term in a 2012 election. Still struggling to emerge from Vladimir Putin's shadow less than 18 months before the end of his term, Medvedev has struck a softer, more liberal tone on issues ranging from jailed tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky's trial to ties with the United States. But in the latest appearance in what looks like a contest between the two leaders for public approval, he announced no major initiatives and lamented the pace of his trademark campaign to enliven Russia's economy through innovation. "Modernisation is progressing. Its pace may have accelerated from the start of the year, but of course not much has been achieved so far," Reuters quoted Medvedev as telling the nation in a televised end-of-year interview with its top three TV networks. "I think there are results. But they are not great in number ... you cannot achieve colossal success in one year.", Medvedev said.
