Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed hope that the country will emerge from the situation with coronavirus, “with dignity and with minimal losses”. He stated this in an interview with Paul Zarubino, the author of the program “Moscow. The Kremlin. Putin” on TV channel “Russia 1”.
“I think that Russia would Russia still survive, all Peremoga and will survive, the only question is — at what cost?” – Putin said.
He recalled that in the 90-ies of the humanitarian aid to Russia “was sent not in connection with man-made disasters or some natural phenomena, but as the poorest country in the world that hunger is not dead.”
Then the country could not pay salaries without foreign loans, and the people were without money for months, not paid even the military.
From 1999 to 2019 the country’s GDP doubled, “that is, the economy has grown two times,” said the President.
“Inflation was, you know how much 2600 per cent. Even in 97-m to year when the first signs of GDP growth, the inflation rate was still 11 percent. And now we have for the year was 3 percent. Even in the present day, we have set a benchmark of 4 percent, and, most likely, somewhere around 4 per cent and will be”, — Putin said.
the Money of the citizens, support the economy and affected industries is taken from the reserves, “from the budget,” said the President.
“What was the budget in the 90s? Even in the early 2000-ies we had a chronic shortage, chronic. Salary, even pensions are not paid for several months. Our reserves have increased by 50 times over the years,” — said the head of state.
“Agriculture almost collapsed, and now we have only the exports last year amounted to nearly $ 20 billion, even it was hard to imagine, he continued. I would tell someone in the early 2000’s, no one would have believed. We took first place in the world for exportin wheat, a real achievement.”
Industry in Russia grew by 90 percent, the manufacturing sector more than doubled.
“Yes, we still have a lot to do to diversify the economy, but it happens, it really happens,” — said Putin, noting that Russia is now compared to the 90s – “it’s a different country”.
“And here’s what we have done in recent years, gives the opportunity to hope that we finally will come out of this situation with dignity and with minimal losses”, — he concluded.
Complete an interview with the President, see the special edition of the program “Moscow. The Kremlin. Putin” on TV channel “Russia 1” on 28 June at 22:00.
