Russian President Vladimir Putin has held his 13th marathon Q&A on Thursday. More than 3 million people sent in questions, touching mainly on the economy and the situation in eastern Ukraine.
16 April 2015
Watch the full video of Vladimir Putin's 2015 Q&A:
Who called #Putin? Farmers, Ukraine refugees & hosts, soldiers & vets. Full transmission here https://t.co/1nWO1hL4pKpic.twitter.com/ubJ0JXpN9C
— IvorCrotty (@IvorCrotty) April 16, 2015
The Q&A session is over. It lasted about 4 hours.
Another person wondered whether Putin’s friends exploited his kindness. The president said “not only friends!”
Asked whether Putin had taken any foreign leaders to a Russian banya [sauna], he recalled taking former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. A fire started in the banya when they were inside, but the German finished his beer before leaving, Putin said.
Q: Do you wanna get cloned? Putin: No. Next question. http://t.co/GPIF8fpmd4#RTPutinHotLinepic.twitter.com/zLH09DUYml
— RT (@RT_com) April 16, 2015
Life expectancy in Russia is growing faster than the government expected, which is good, but produces extra pressure on the national pension system, Putin said. But he said Russians are not prepared to accept a hike in pension age, a measure that some officials in the economy block of the government strongly advocate.
Russia would not ban foreign medicines from the market as it did with European and American food, Putin assured. He added, however, that it is essential for the country to improve its own pharmaceutical industry to ensure its security.
Putin said he “strongly recommends” that senior officers in Russian state-owned companies made their incomes public. He was commenting on the government’s refusal to make such publications obligatory.
Putin speculated that the government’s stance was due to the presence of foreigners in boards of directors of Russian companies, who wouldn’t want to be forced to reveal their salaries.
A four-year-old boy asked how difficult it is to be president and whether his habit to sleep long hours would be a barrier to becoming one. Putin said that given the boy’s energy, he has all the chances to lead Russia one day, if he tries hard enough. As for sleep, he said it would help him grow into a healthy president.
By 2023, Russia expects to have a national space station in orbit, Putin said. The project will complement the country’s participation in the International Space Station. Unlike the ISS, the new station’s orbit would bring it over most parts of Russia, providing considerable benefits.
Among other things, the project prompted changes in the schedule of the Angara rocket program, the president added. The development of the heavy version of the modular rocket would be pushed back to better suit the needs of the future station, he explained.
#RTPutinHotLine: 3hrs, more than 3mn questions received - WATCH LIVE: http://t.co/xbLgNUJmAYhttps://t.co/rjKyqoofBxpic.twitter.com/kqMIzv7AmR
— RT (@RT_com) April 16, 2015
During three hours on air, Vladimir Putin replied to about 60 questions. At the same time, more than 3 million had been submitted through various channels, including phone calls, text and multimedia messages, internet and video link.
Russian special services have information about a number of Russian citizens, who went to the Middle East to fight for the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), Putin said.
The rise of this organization doesn’t pose a direct threat to Russia, but Moscow is concerned nevertheless, he added.
Putin stressed that IS became a powerful militant group partly because post-Saddam Iraq failed to incorporate its Sunni minority, which had been in power under Hussein and who hold a major grudge against Shiites now. Former military commanders, trained under Saddam’s rule, brought their experience with them when they joined IS, Putin said.
France’s stalling the delivery of two Mistral-class warships to Russia would not compromise the strength of the Russian Navy, Putin said. He added he was confident that Paris would return the money Russia paid under the contract.
“I presume that the current French leadership, the French people are honest and will pay back our money. We are not going to demand any penalties, but what is due to us must be returned,” he said.
Echo Moscow Ed pins Putin on Nemtsov & naming street after bard legend Vystosky. Putin likes. http://t.co/0IQuxvs1ZOpic.twitter.com/hlenSjqVKt
— IvorCrotty (@IvorCrotty) April 16, 2015
#Putin: USSR imposed model on E.Europe after WW2, didn't end well. Now US tries, faces same fate #RTPUTINHOTLINEhttps://t.co/rjKyqoofBx
— RT (@RT_com) April 16, 2015
At the same time, the trend to equating Stalin’s Soviet Union with Hitler’s Germany is wrong, he added. With all its “ugliness and repressions” the Stalinist regime never made annihilation of an entire people its goal.
Moscow can be partially blamed for the ambiguous attitude towards World War II and the role the Soviet Union played in it, Putin said. After all, in the aftermath of the war, Moscow imposed its model of development by force on the nations it liberated from the Nazis.
Putin said Washington is doing about the same thing now, trying to impose their model on almost the entire world. "And they will fail too," Putin said.
A spate of political assassinations has happened in Ukraine, Putin said. The Ukrainian authorities are not properly investigating these crimes, while Kiev’s European and American sponsors turn a blind eye.
Putin’s comment came shortly after news broke of the killing of Ukrainian journalist Oles Buzina in Kiev. Buzina, who resigned his position in Segonya, a leading Ukrainian newspaper, over what he called censorship by its owner, was a vocal advocate of the view that Ukrainians, Belarusians and Russians were in fact one people.
“Our partners should at least try to seek compromise rather than put pressure on us,” the Russian president said.
“The US doesn’t need allies, it needs vassals. Russia cannot exist in such a system of relations,” Putin said, explaining why it’s up to the West to restore good relations with Russia.
He added that Moscow wants to maintain ties with all nations, but must be treated as an equal partner.
Siberian bushfire survivors desperate, lost everything. Please help. #RTPutinHotlinepic.twitter.com/icDGyNZ1Vu
— IvorCrotty (@IvorCrotty) April 16, 2015
“I think a war [between Russia and Ukraine] is impossible,” Putin told a resident of a town located on the border between Ukraine and Russia. On several occasions stray shells from the Ukrainian side have landed near the Russian town of Gukovo, instilling fear that the hostilities may spread across the border.
Putin said he would see it as a positive development if opposition parties, not currently holding any seats in the Russian parliament, won enough support from the Russian people during the next parliamentary election.
“This gives people a louder voice, brings them out of the shadows. I believe it would be a positive thing,” Putin said, explaining that being an MP gives both authority and responsibility to a politician.
“But it’s up to the people to decide who should be in the parliament,” he added.
Moscow has no imperial ambitions, despite what its critics say. But Russia is looking for regional integration because it gives a chance to improve the lives of Russian people living outside the country, Putin said.
#Putin to #Ukraine refugees: War is impossible, don't worry #RTPUTINHOTLINE WATCH LIVE: http://t.co/xbLgNUJmAYpic.twitter.com/8QjPmRXdUl
— RT (@RT_com) April 16, 2015
Answering a question about Boris Nemtsov’s murder, Putin revealed that Russian investigators learned the names of the suspected killers about a day after he was killed. The only question was how to arrest them.
The issue of whether the assassination was ordered by any third party remains unanswered as of now, he added.
The only thing that Moscow wants from Kiev is to be treated as an equal partner, which includes respecting Russia’s concerns over the rights of the people living in Ukraine, who consider themselves Russian and speak Russian, Putin said.
#Putin: Russia gives #Ukraine energy discounts to help it exit crisis http://t.co/UzGDuyc2Tx#RTPUTINHOTLINEpic.twitter.com/1zmISoQoul
— RT (@RT_com) April 16, 2015
“We don’t choose our partners. In our work we must be guided by the country’s interests and not sympathies and antipathies,” Putin said, describing his relations with Poroshenko.
Russia is offering a discount on gas prices, and supplies coal and electricity to Ukraine despite the hostility of its government because this helps the Ukrainian people, Putin said. Governments come and go, but the Ukrainians will remain close to the Russian people.
Also the Ukrainian economy can’t afford to buy Russian gas at market prices and needs help with its recovery. Seeing Ukraine back on its feet is in Russia’s interest for purely geographic reasons, Putin explained.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko never made an offer to Putin to “take Donbass,” as a media report claimed earlier, the president said. He added that unfortunately the authorities in Kiev are severing their rebel provinces with policies such as the ongoing economic blockade.
#Putin: Poroshenko never made me offer to 'take Donbass' (VIDEO) https://t.co/5OHBQZ1mKw#RTPutinHotline
— RT (@RT_com) April 16, 2015
Putin assumed the unexpected role of a family counselor. A woman asked to petition for her female friend, who wants to buy a dog, but her husband is against it. The president’s authority would help convince the husband, a retired military man, she believed.
The Russian president was visibly baffled by the request, saying he has no right to order a family to take a dog. Instead he suggested a cunning plan: he would ask the husband to meet his spouse halfway, and she in turn would tell her husband that she would do as he decides.
“He would buy her an elephant,” Putin joked.
The 90-minute mark in Putin’s Q&A session has passed.
#RTPUTINHOTLINE the story so far - economic blame, milk & missiles http://t.co/xbLgNUJmAYhttps://t.co/rjKyqoofBxpic.twitter.com/VoUJs0uGKX
— RT (@RT_com) April 16, 2015
Iran demonstrates a great willingness to sign a deal over its controversial nuclear program. This is why Russia choose to unfreeze the delivery of S-300 surface-to-air missiles to Iran, which was put on hold in 2010, Putin said.
He added that Russia’s ban on the arms deal was never part of any UN sanctions, which means that accusations Russia is undermining the international sanctions against Tehran are groundless.
Putin dismissed the charges voiced by some Israeli commentators that supplying the system to Iran would destabilize the region. He said the situation in Yemen clearly indicates that possession of defensive weapons like the S-300 would subdue possible hostilities rather than provoke them.
Yemen is being subjected to a Saudi Arabian bombing campaign targeting Shiite rebels.
So that's John Kopiski who asked Putin if he believed the stats he gets #RTPUTINHOTLINEhttp://t.co/mget9Zlzpepic.twitter.com/RgAknlDILo
— IvorCrotty (@IvorCrotty) April 16, 2015
An extended discussion followed about the agriculture sector and particularly the problems diary producers face. One of the farmers addressing the president was “simple Russian guy, John,” as he was introduced by the anchor.
John came to Russia more than two decades ago, married a Russian woman and fathered five children here. He complained about the regulated price at which his milk is bought by distributors, saying it’s too low to keep his farm profitable. John asked whether Putin thought the statistics the government used to develop its policies were accurate enough.
The president gave an assurance that the government is aware of the problems on the ground and that the statistics were “more right than wrong.” He pledged to introduce additional subsidies to help Russian farmers.
#PUTIN: US debt is alarming, not just for America but for world economy. LIVE: http://t.co/Z6tIMrxXoW#RTPutinHotlinepic.twitter.com/pJYKFQfcyp
— RT (@RT_com) April 16, 2015
Producing a good economic policy requires good thinking. But keeping the trust of the people requires having a heart, Putin said, explaining why the government is not imposing austerity measures and cutting social spending.
He was responding to a question from Aleksey Kudrin, former Finance Minister, who asked whether Putin’s team had a new economy growth model, which would keep Russia from sliding behind other leading world economies.
Kudrin is an advocate of reforming social spending in Russia, to relieve the budget and curb inflation to stimulate economic growth.
Putin friend/foe Kudrin w/2nd q: 1st term oil $130pb, now@$65pb GDP suffers, defence spend too high. Old dev model insufficient, what next?
— IvorCrotty (@IvorCrotty) April 16, 2015
“Regardless of any sanctions the economy correction was unavoidable. Those sanctions actually helped the government and the central bank. They could say: ‘we do what we do because of the sanctions’. Not just because of them. We have to correct our economic policy in a more professional and vigorous manner,” Putin said.
#Russia will take advantage of Western sanctions – #Putin#RTPUTINHOTLINEhttps://t.co/S9mneyhRwe
— RT (@RT_com) April 16, 2015
“The economic uncertainty caused an increased capital outflow, which we have to take into account. We can go into detail about this later, but I don’t see anything catastrophic here,” Putin said.
“The assets of the domestic banking system have increased to 77 trillion rubles ($1.54 trillion) and have surpassed the country’s GDP for the first time. It’s a good indicator of the banking system’s stability,” Putin said.
Russia’s economy has managed to overcome the worst, as the national currency has become much stronger than most analysts expected, and all the key indicators are improving, Putin said.
READ MORE: Russia survived peak of problems – Putin
Putin estimates it will take two years for the Russian economy to recover from the current troubles.
The positive part of the sanctions is that it forced the government to take necessary economic reforms that it would have been reluctant to take otherwise, Putin said. The measures have led to certain progress in the economy, as indicated by the latest developments, particularly in agriculture and food security.
Russian businessmen should not expect the sanctions against Russia to be lifted anytime soon, Putin said. They are part of a large strategic effort by some other nations to curb Russia’s growth, with the Ukrainian crisis a pretext rather than the reason for imposing them, he explained.
He added that the sanctions are not the sole reasons for the economic hardships that Russia faced. There were other factors, which would have caused things like the fall of the national currency even if no sanctions had been imposed.
#Putin: Of course sanctions impact but markets say growth conditions good LIVE http://t.co/xbLgNUJmAY#RTPutinHotLinepic.twitter.com/ZuIpVwDYfL
— RT (@RT_com) April 16, 2015
Demographic indicators continued to improve in Russia, with growth rate and life expectancy higher than the previous year, he concluded.
Russian housing development was at a record high despite economic troubles - even higher than in Soviet times. Employment didn’t fall dramatically. Bank deposits grew, demonstrating confidence of the population in the future, he added.
We managed to prevent inflation spiraling in Russia. The economy showed a little growth. At the same time there are problems with investment in small and medium-sized businesses, Putin said, reporting on the performance of his government.
People submitted over 2,486,000 questions, with new ones continuing to arrive as the program continues, the call center of the Q&A session reported. The number is bigger than during any previous session.
The annual Q&A session with Russian President Vladimir Putin has started in Moscow. The televised show comes amid a period of high tension between Russia and the West, and a degree of uncertainty over Russia’s economy.