MOSCOW - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday that Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin should step down before Tuesday if he disagrees with the state leader.

Kudrin said he was going to discuss this matter with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, while Medvedev gave a strong response.

"You may consult whoever you want, including the prime minister, but as long as I am the president, I will be making such decisions," the president was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying.

On Sunday, Kudrin said he would leave his post if President Medvedev would become the new prime minister after presidential elections in 2012 because of "principal disagreement" between the two men over financial issues.