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Vladimir Putin 2015 media Q&A LIVE UPDATES
We’re covering the Russian president’s traditional end-of-year Q&A marathon LIVE on RT. This year’s session has attracted nearly 1,400 journalists, ready to pose a wide variety of questions. It is expected that the focus will be on international issues, but domestic issues such as the economy will also be up for discussion. Watch Putin's Q&A marathon here https://www.rt.com/on-air/putin-annual-media-marathon/
- 09:34 GMTEven with the best will in the world, the Central Bank’s key interest rate cannot be marked down by administrative measures, because economic realities must be taken into consideration.
- 09:32 GMT#Putin says not planning any major changes to government line-up, signalling no imminent sacrifical offerings to quell any public anger
- The president expressed support for the policies of the Russian Central Bank and the government in maintaining microeconomic stability.
- 09:30 GMTThe ongoing import phase-out program is not a panacea for all economic problems, yet it boosts labor productivity.
- 09:30 GMTThe Russian government is fulfilling social obligation, including indexation of pensions, to the fullest extent.
- 09:26 GMTPutin confirmed the budget deficit has come in at 2.8-2.9 percent, which is less than expected 3.0 percent.
- 09:6 GMT#Putin acknowledges that #Russia economy is in a worse shape than was hoped for a year ago, main factor is falling oil prices #PutinPresser
- Unemployment rates remain stable at 5.6 percent, which is the result of successful efforts by the government.
