Putin to deliver state of nation address

Russian President Vladimir Putin will deliver an annual state of the nation address on Monday, the Kremlin announced, as the country increasingly looks ahead to 2008 presidential elections in which Putin is constitutionally banned from standing.

The speech before an audience of politicians, government officials and other dignitaries, will be Putin’s second state of the union address since his overwhelming re-election to a second term in March 2004 and his sixth as Russian leader.