President Vladimir Putin said in an interview released Friday that he "couldn't care less" if fellow Russian citizens sought to meddle in the 2016 US presidential election, insisting such efforts could not be tied to the Kremlin.

"Why have you decided the Russian authorities, myself included, gave anybody permission to do this?" Putin asked in the often-combative interview with NBC television.

Last month Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted 13 Russian nationals and three Russian companies for allegedly backing Trump's campaign, maligning his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton and engaging in other election interference.

"So what if they're Russians?" Putin said of the allegations.  "There are 146 million Russians. So what?... I don't care. I couldn't care less... They do not represent the interests of the Russian state."

Mueller issued a 37-page indictment against the Russians but Putin indicated he has seen no evidence thus far that the alleged meddling broke any US law.

Yesterday, Putin, who is expected to be reelected for a fourth term in an upcoming ballot, said he had no plans to change the constitution to stay in the Kremlin beyond 2024.

Asked by the US television network NBC whether he would follow in the footsteps of China's Xi Jinping, who is eyeing a limitless tenure, Putin insisted he had no such intentions.

Putin has always prided himself on respecting the constitution, which bars him from serving more than two presidential terms in a row. In 2008, Putin became prime minister but maintained his grip on power, with his protege Dmitry Medvedev serving as president until 2012 when Putin returned to the Kremlin in the face of huge opposition protests.