Economy

“Indeed it is arguable that without his prolonged visit to the U.S. in 1959, Khrushchev may not have been so willing to accommodate JFK during the Cuban Missile Crisis three years later in 1962 – the reason being that only in visiting the country or countries of his adversaries is a leader able to humanize it beyond the realm of geopolitical differences. In 2018, due to the unbounded anti-Russia fever that has Washington in its grip, it is highly unlikely that any such visit to the U.S. by Russian President Vladimir Putin will be taking place anytime soon, nor to Russia by his U.S. counterpart, President Trump. In this respect at least, the hard lessons of the twentieth century have been lost.”

“The step (reducing U.S. Treasury Securities) is being considered a prudent approach directed towards insulating the country from the US attempt to weaponize the dollar.”

“In our country, the average salary of women is 74% of the average salary of men. However, you can console yourself with the fact that in 2005 this figure was only 60%. It seems that there have been changes for the better. But the gap still persists, and it is large.”

“The city has changed dramatically in recent years; bicycle paths have appeared, the historical center has been restored. Now there's greenery everywhere. Omsk is becoming an eco-friendly, modern city.”

”On July 4, 2016, the Polish side temporarily suspended the Agreement on Local Border Traffic under the pretext of holding the NATO Summit in Warsaw and the World Youth Day in Krakow... The events that triggered the above actions by Warsaw have long passed. But the Polish side is not eager to end the impasse, which is very surprising…As of today, Poland does not show interest in resuming the LBT. As a result, people's interests on both sides of the border are affected.”

“The proposed changes in the pension system will not only preserve the income levels of pensioners, but, most importantly, will ensure their sustainable, advancing growth.”

"As of today, the number of all liquefied natural gas plants in the United States is precisely…one. It's located in the state of Louisiana, its name is Sabine Pass and the American company ExxonMobil is a shareholder.”

(Answering a question as to whether Putin and Trump discussed sanctions at their last meeting) “No. Generally speaking this did not come up.”

"Russia's financial system is fairly stable, it is well known to everyone. It has proved its stability in quite difficult times. Against the background of the continuing unpredictability of our overseas partners, of course, we must and we are keeping our financial system in proper state."

“We’re witnessing a sharp decline in the population of working age… We have an imbalance in the labor market, there are no workers.”

I am opposed to raising the retirement age [in Russia]. As long as I am president, no such decision will be made. Altogether, I believe that there is no need in our country to raise the retirement age. We can and need to boost the economy and the interest of people to continue working but without infringing on their rights to retirement. I will say this again: I am against raising the retirement age.

“We managed to address a very difficult challenge that other countries which have hosted the Olympic Games have not been able to address so effectively. All of Sochi’s infrastructure – practically all – is very busy throughout the year. And both the coastal and mountain clusters are busy.”