Economy
Friday 2 March 2018
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![Vladimir Putin]()
Vladimir Putin
President of the Russian Federation
Russia must firmly assert itself among the five largest global economies, and its per-capita GDP must increase by 50 percent by the middle of the next decade. This is a very difficult task. I am confident that we are ready to accomplish it.
Read more...In the global rating of all countries whose economies are analyzed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Russia, with a GDP of $10.3 thousands per capita, scores at the bottom of seventh tenner by the purchasing power parity. -
![Alexey Kudrin, ex-Minister of Finance of Russia, Director of the Civil Initiatives Committee]()
Alexey Kudrin, ex-Minister of Finance of Russia, Director of the Civil Initiatives Committee
“Prior to the sanctions, Russian economy was showing low growth. The median growth in 10 years (since 2007) was 1%. We are shrinking our role as a global economy.”
Read more...While Russia's place among the world's big economies varies, depending on exchange rates and price comparisons for goods, the IMF finds the nation's total contribution to the global economy is falling. -
![Sputnik]()
Sputnik
Russian broadcaster
“Russia became the world's second most powerful country and ranked eighth among states with up-and-coming economies, the 2018 Best Countries report by the U.S. News & World Report magazine showed on Tuesday.”
Read more...While it lists Russia as a promising economy, the cited report uses a perception ranking based on a narrowly defined survey sample and narrow definition of economic performance. And, among 80 countries, it assesses Russia’s economy as performing better than most, but at the same time worse than many in the area of “entrepreneurship” and the worst among all of them when it comes to “open business. -
![Unknown]()
Unknown
A photo depicts a mother and child in what is alleged to be a fully-stocked Soviet supermarket.
Read more...Can you spot what’s wrong with this photo of a “Soviet supermarket?” -
![Ivan Karyakin]()
Ivan Karyakin
Investment analyst
“Brussels surely understands that replacing the Russian pipeline gas with American LNG does not increase, but reduces the energy security of the EU.”
Read more...American supplies of liquefied natural gas challenge Russia’s domination of Europe’s energy market, reduces European dependence on Russian supplies and expands the EU’s energy options, promoting fair competition and potentially leading to lower prices. -
![Maria Zakharova]()
Maria Zakharova
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman
There is no doubt that the U.S. delegation has something to tell the world. For example, Nikki Haley can share the American experience of dispersal of protest actions, tell in detail how, for example, mass arrests and suppression of the Occupy Wall Street movement were carried out or Ferguson was "cleansed.”
Read more...While the responses to Occupy Wall Street and Ferguson merit legitimate concern, they are not comparable to the protests in Iran. -
![Sergei Aksyonov]()
Sergei Aksyonov
prime minister of Crimea
“Crimea did not have any foreign investors when it was part of Ukraine, in connection with the exceptional corruption of the Ukrainian government; you could count them [foreign investors] on your fingers.”
Read more...Corruption in Ukraine indeed impeded foreign direct investment in Crimea prior to Russia’s annexation, but the peninsula did have foreign investors. Still, Russia’s annexation, continued corruption, and the sanctions imposed on Moscow for its actions in Crimea have undercut foreign investment. -
![Yuri Podoliaka]()
Yuri Podoliaka
Contributor to Voyennoye Obozreniye
“Today, Washington is losing allies even faster than the USSR did during its period of decline. Old and experienced [U.S.] partners are turning in the direction of Russia and China, and many are simply waiting for the right moment to escape the sinking ship of American ‘democracy’."
Read more...The U.S. continues to retain and support its allies while enjoying their backing and cultivating new partners, including those that have or are turning away from Russia. -
![Alexey Pushkov]()
Alexey Pushkov
Chairman of the Commission on Information Policy in Russia’s Federation Council
“There is no basis for the deployment of peacekeepers on the border between the DNR/LNR and Russia. It is a zone of peace and tranquility. So let them deal with the zone of tension.”
Read more...The Russian authorities’ insistence that the mandate of UN peacekeepers in Ukraine should be limited to the area along the “borders” between Ukraine and the conflict zone in the eastern part of the country is based on their claim that the region is a “zone of peace and tranquility.” That claim is neither true nor logical. Eastern Ukraine remains a war zone and the only internationally recognized borders are those between Ukraine and Russia. -
![Sergey Kislyak]()
Sergey Kislyak
Former Russian Ambassador to the U.S.
“I have worked for years in the American (relations) field, and I can responsibly say that we did everything, simply everything, to maintain normal cooperation.”
Read more...Russia’s own actions endangering global security caused the deterioration of relations with the United States as well as with other countries. The conditions for lifting sanctions and returning to “normal” cooperation have been clearly presented to Russia but Moscow ignores its obligation to help maintain global security. -
![Andrey Klimov]()
Andrey Klimov
Deputy Chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee, Federation Council
“These sanctions are illegal in themselves, because the only thing recognized by international law is the sanctions of the UN Security Council.”
Read more...Despite Russia’s claims that U.S.-imposed sanctions are illegal under international law, the U.S. strictly follows its own legal procedures and international regulations under the World Trade Organization’s General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) -
![Vedomosti newspaper]()
Vedomosti newspaper
Finastra, a global company that owns the copyright to software that works with SWIFT has refused to work with sanctioned Russian banks.
Read more...Finastra has confirmed that it has ceased to provide support to two Russian banks sanctioned by the EU and US.
