Russian President Vladimir Putin has been addressing the Federal Assembly in Moscow. He spoke about domestic affairs and foreign policy to MPs, members of the government, as well as other officials and public figures.
20 February 2019
The address ends after about 90 minutes.
Russian people feel in their hearts that the future of the country depends on their own actions, and they will do their best to improve the country. The government’s task is to help them achieve this.
All Russian actions in military terms are aimed at ensuring in safety, to eliminate even a shade of possibility that somebody would try to use force against Russia. What Russia wants is peace.
The American elites may be misguided in that they believe themselves to be exceptional. But do they have counting skills? They should use them to assess Russia’s new weapons and take decisions based on what they calculate.
Despite what some nations claim, Russia is not a threat to other nations. Russia’s military moves come in response to what the US and its allies do and are defensive in nature. The policies of Washington are short sighted, destructive and ultimately undermine America’s own interest.
Russia has sped up the deployment of some military assets, including the Tsirkon anti-ship missile and several ships, Putin announced.
Putin gave an overview on Russia’s actions to develop the weapon systems, which he first announced in March 2018. This includes deploying a submarine armed with the Poseidon nuclear-propelled long-range torpedo.
The current international situation does not call for an escalation. The US already tried and failed to achieve an advantage over Russia by developing anti-ballistic missile capabilities. Russia responded to those moves to preserve its deterrence.
Russia will not be the first to deploy intermediate-range missiles in Europe, Putin said. But if the US does deploy such missiles close to Russia, Moscow will be forced to react likewise. If this happens, Russia will not only target the launch sites of missiles threatening it, but also the sites where decisions are taken, related to those missiles.
The Americans have been violating the terms of the INF in subtle ways, like deploying Tomahawk-compatible launchpads in Eastern Europe and using intermediate-range missiles as targets during anti-missile tests.
US decision to unilaterally withdraw from the INF treaty is among the most significant developments today. Russia stressed that, unlike the US, Russia didn’t develop technologies banned by the treaty. Washington was deceptive about how it withdrew. It would have been more honest to simply say they want out, like they did with the ABM Treaty under George W Bush.
Everybody should realize that Russia can only exist as a sovereign nation and not in any other capacity. Dealing with Russia means finding common ground, not dictating to it. Russia’s foreign policy goals are transparent and clear – boosting trust, erasing borders between peoples, building a safer world.
Young people in Russia should know that their energy, aspirations and talents are one of the biggest factors for Russia to be competitive on the global scene in the future.
In August, Russia is hosting the WorldSkills competition for professionals. Putin wishes luck to the Russian team taking part in the event.
Russia is about to begin construction on several scientific vessels which will be able to conduct research in any part of the world, including the Arctic.
The government seeks to replicate what it did with advanced strategic weapons in civilian areas, like genetics and artificial intelligence.
Russia has managed to make a technological breakthrough in defense. This was a major achievement in which young specialists played a key part. Creating a hypersonic glider is on par with the first launch of a satellite in terms of its magnitude.
There is a great interest in other nations in Russia’s culture and nature. Russia can boost tourism by facilitating the process of issuing tourist visas. The experience gained during the FIFA World Cup last year will be of great use in this regard.
Several major transport lines are going online this year, including the railroad connection through the Kerch Strait bridge, Putin said. It offers new business opportunities and a potential for rapid growth for regions.
A major overhaul of the entire legal basis for fighting financial crime is long overdue. Over the next two years, the government needs to analyze it and decide which regulations have to be retired and which kept in place.
Russia has a recurring problem of business owners being harassed by law enforcement, which often starts investigations on shaky grounds and fail to make cases for prosecution. These cases hurt the business climate in Russia and sometimes cost employees their jobs. This problem needs to be addressed, so that honest businessmen do not suffer from undue pressure.
Putin highlights Russia’s recent success in agricultural, which allowed it to become a major exporter of various foodstuffs. The government has to find new ways to translate those achievements into improving the lives of the farmers who allowed it to happen. There is also a need for Russia to become known as a source of natural agriculture products.
The government and lawmakers need to work on boosting the digital economy. This includes both facilitating investment into tech areas and offering this sector export opportunities, and building the legal basis for e-commerce.
There are four main tasks for the government to boost the economy now. One is to increase productivity. The second is making Russian jurisdiction attractive to companies operating in Russia to boost investment. The third is to improve regional infrastructure and the fourth is creating a quality workforce for future jobs.
The speech moves on to national targets for economic growth, inflation, and other key indicators. For the first time in history, Russia’s reserves are enough to cover the debt owed by both the government and Russian businesses, Putin announces.
Regional museums and cultural centers currently don’t pay taxes from their profits, but the break is to expire next year. Putin suggests making the break permanent.
The central government will continue to address the inadequacies of education in rural areas and smaller towns by continuing the modernization of schools and offering financial incentives to teachers who agree to relocate and teach there.
The education system has improved over the past year, boosting the number of schools with decent conditions from 12 percent in 2000 to 85 percent today. But this is no consolation for people whose children still study in the 15 percent with poor conditions. There can be no talk of equal opportunity when some students attend schools without proper heating.
Natural reserves in Russia require more clarity in terms of where their borders go. This is necessary for preserving nature properly.
From garbage disposal, the speech moves on to adopting clean technologies and reducing pollution in Russia. There is strong lobbying for keeping things as they are to avoid losing jobs – but this is not sustainable in the long run. Industries need to become more environmentally-friendly.
Putin moves on to another painful issue for Russia – garbage disposal. He warned that if changes in how garbage disposal is funded – which were adopted in Russia last year – do not result in changes in the quality of service, Russians will be very dissatisfied. Corruption is pervasive in this area and should be eradicated without hesitation.
Russia is lagging behind in terms of providing palliative care to sufferers. The parliament is about to finally adopt a law that would regulate this area.
Large-scale investment will be spread over the next six years into diagnostics and treatment of various kinds of cancer. Russia has already made strides in developing cancer treatment facilities and inviting skilled doctors to practice in Russia so that people can receive lifesaving treatment at home. But much more can and will be done in this regard.
The system can also benefit immensely from streamlining electronic communications between clinics, pharmacies, and supervisors, and cutting red tape for people who are eligible to receive disability benefits.
The Russian healthcare system leaves much to be desired, especially in isolated rural areas that still experience a shortage of service. Some 1,600 modern, small medical stations will be built in Russia by the end of 2020.
Retired people with smaller pensions will see additional payments to compensate for the rise in living costs which the country experienced lately.
Another way is to protect people burdened with loans from losing their homes to mortgage organizations. Part of this is further regulating the payday loans market in Russia to prevent vulnerable people being preyed upon.
Russia still has 19 million people living in poverty, which is less than at its peak, but still too many. There are many causes for a person to become poor, and the state has many tools to help lift people out of poverty.
Those include training in skills demanded by employers, helping with getting an initial job, helping solve immediate problems with life. The central government will work with regional ones to provide such help to some 9 million people over the next several years.
By the end of 2021 the shortage of childcare at nurseries needs to be finally eliminated.
By the end of 2021, the shortage of childcare at nurseries needs to be eliminated.
Families with three or more children will also get one-time payments to slash their mortgages. The benefits should also apply to homes built by private landowners themselves as opposed to commercial developers.
Mortgage rates have to be effectively lowered further for families with many children through government subsidies. Some 600,000 families are expected to benefit from the program that Putin has in mind.
More money will be allocated to pay family benefits as well as benefits to families with children with special needs. Real estate tax breaks will be offered to families with many children.
By 2024 Russia must achieve positive net growth of the population again after overcoming the current drop, which comes as an echo of the massive loss of life during World War II and the economic hardships after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Russia has the resources to spend on the programs necessary for development. These are not borrowed resources, but are earned by millions of our people through hard work.
We must move forward increasing our momentum, Putin says. Officials who are unable to keep the pace, and make excuses not to, should retire now, he added.
The address begins. Putin says it will focus on domestic development of Russia and what the government is doing to achieve this goal.
Most of the addresses to the Federal Assembly were held at the Kremlin, but last year and again this year the event was moved to an outside site. Today the high-profile gathering happens at Moscow’s Gostiny Dvor, a historic merchant court currently used as an exhibition hall by the city.
Traditionally the address is focused on domestic affairs of Russia like the state of economy, planned reforms or the political situation, with only a fraction dedicated to foreign affairs. Last year’s speech was a notable exception. Putin used the occasion to announce Russia’s work on a number of new weapon systems meant to ensure that Russia’s nuclear deterrence capability is not undermined by the US.
This year’s address is the 25th in Russia’s history – the tradition was adopted by President Boris Yeltsin. Putin will be making the speech for the 15th time in his career.
The annual address to the Federal Assembly, as Russia’s main legislative body is officially called, is a counterpart to the US State of the Union address and similar speeches by heads of state of other nations. The president is reporting to lawmakers and the country in general on his government’s achievements and policy goals for the future.