But a strange thing has happened. The two politicians have begun to disagree publicly. For months, people on the teams of each man have been fighting and jostling behind the scenes, keen to have their man in the top job. But the two men themselves had stayed out of the bickering.
That has changed. When Mr Putin last month made a comment that Nato action against Libya was reminiscent of the "crusades", Mr Medvedev rebuked him in public and referred to the language as "unacceptable".
With each passing week, there are more signs of discord. Last week, one of the Kremlin's longest-standing advisers, Gleb Pavlovsky, was sacked. He said it was because he had come out in support of Mr Medvedev. "I violated the tandem's silent discipline: say nothing about a candidate until everything is decided," Mr Pavlovsky said. "I thought it was ridiculous and impossible. I could not be silent in this situation, which caused a problem for the Kremlin."
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PS
Walker´s piece is just one of many similar stories recently published by western media. It is difficult to understand why people like Walker write these kind of things. There is no "power couple". The journalists must know that Putin, who gave Medvedev his present puppet job, is the man in charge. Medvedev may have some slightly more liberal views, but he and his "team" members are totally powerless and do not - and will not - have the slightest chance to make any real moves without the approval of Putin. If they try, they will soon disappear from the political scene. That is the reality.
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