Vladimir Putin answered journalists' questions
Answers to questions from Russian journalists at the conclusion of the BRICS summit.
Question: The Western media write a lot about the fact that BRICS allegedly is experiencing difficulties. Brazil, in connection with a change in leadership, after a change in leadership, is pondering whether it needs BRICS or whether it does not need BRICS. Known friction between India and China. Increasingly active in relation to India, as they say, are the United States.
You have repeatedly said that the BRICS feel important and viable association. You feel these issues, if they are, how serious? Can the BRICS to overcome them and what the general prospects of the BRICS?
V.Putin: Some of our partners always try to find problems, whatever we do and whatever we do. We, the Russian people, have a good saying that they see a mote in someone else’s eye, but they don’t notice it in their own logs.
Problems have always, everywhere and among all countries. And that, among the countries whose representatives are set out as the situation around the BRICS, there are no problems with their close strategic partners and allies? Yes there are a lot of problems!
If there were no problems, they have long been signed and would be ratified Transatlantic trade agreement and solved many other problems. But they, unfortunately, can not be solved. Because there is a problem. And there is nothing special. This is a worldwide practice.
Every country, especially in large countries have their own interests, they do not always coincide with even the closest allies. But what is the basis of the interests of the BRICS countries to each other? Lies similarity of their economies and objectives before deciding where they stand. It is so obvious that it is not necessary to be an expert, you need only look at the structure of the economy, on the development, the pace on the task.
You know, this is the objective interest in maintaining contacts and developing co-operation with each other in different directions is that the most important thing that lies at the heart of our organization and that gives me a certain optimism.
Moreover, this meeting, to be honest, I was pleased, because the first time I saw that all stakeholders a real interest in developing relations. And there are real areas of cooperation.
In addition to the structures already created, known to all of us as the BRICS Bank, as the Conditional Currency Reserves Pool - 200 billion dollars, a considerable figure, it will still grow, - other directions are being created. In particular, industrial cooperation.
We are talking about the creation of common standards regulating technical standards. These are fundamental things that underlie the harmonization of economic development and economic policies.
We last night with a colleague from Brazil deepened in detail what is the situation as it is now in our economies. Very much in common! We face common global challenges, and by combining efforts, it will be easier to overcome them.
In general, I treat this association is very positive and I think that, certainly, the BRICS has the potential for development.
Question: US Vice President Joseph Biden yesterday promised to send you a signal - to answer for hacker attacks, in whose organization the US accuses official Russia ...
V.Putin: We can send each other, so there is nothing unexpected here.
Question: In fact, the threat was officially sounded at such a high level, and the threat, as far as I understand, to you personally. Do you suppose that these will be the same hacker attacks against Russia or attacks may be in some other areas and areas?
Vladimir Putin: You can expect anything from our American friends. What did he say so new? Do we not know that the official bodies of the United States are spying on everyone and listening to everyone?
It is well known to all, and it has long been no secret, this evidence is sufficient. On it spends billions of dollars, the NSA operates, the CIA works, other services. There is evidence, there is full recognition.
Moreover, they monitor not only their potential adversaries, those whom they consider as such, but also their allies, including the closest. How many scandals do we know about the wiretaps of the first persons of the states - allies of the United States, so what is new here? Never mind!
The only novelty is that for the first time at such a high level, the United States recognizes that the first thing they are doing, and, second, to a certain extent threaten that, of course, does not correspond to the norms of international relations, it is obvious.
Apparently, a little nervous. The question is why. I think that this is the explanation. You know, in the conditions of the election campaign, any acting government is looking at how to build up the tactics of the election campaign, and any authority, especially that which goes to the polls, always has problems of unresolved issues. They need to be shown, to explain to their population, the voters, why this or that is not done.
There are a lot of such problems in the States, they are enough. Although this is a leading economy of the world, a great power, without a doubt, but there are many unsolved problems. For example, a huge public debt is a time bomb for the economy of the United States itself, and for the global financial system. No one knows what to do about it. Devalue in the future or something else? Why? No answer. This is just for example.
Examples are many in the area, say, foreign policy. Suppose stalled exactly the reconciliation process in the Middle East: in the broadest sense, and between Israel and the Palestinians, unfortunately, until now. Moreover, obviously strained relations with traditional allies in the region from the United States. We are not going to climb up and poking around in this business, it is their problem.
I'm just saying that there are many problems, and in these conditions, many have resorted to the turned out system of voter distraction from their own problems. In this case, in my view, we are witnessing. How to do it?
Create, for example, the image of the enemy and to unite the nation in the struggle against this enemy. The image of the enemy in the form of Iran and the Iranian nuclear threat was not very effective. In the case of Russia, it is more interesting. In my opinion, this card is now active and played.
I have said recently on the forum VTB bad that on the basis of internal political problems in the current sacrificed Russian-American relations, because it destroys the international relations in general.
By the way, I didn’t fully answer your question - it is connected in this part with the second one about who develops relations with whom and with whom. Here is India, for example, with the United States. And thank God! The United States is a great power, India is a great power. Any great power has interests, and they seek to realize these interests in a multilateral format. In another way, it is impossible to imagine the modern world.
And more intense than the global will of these processes, the world will be more stable. I hope that when these debates will be held, this difficult period in the political life of the States themselves, will have a chance to restore relations between Russia and the United States.
Remark: That is, as a threat not to perceive?
V.Putin: I have already said: everything can be expected. Since they are being watched globally, for everyone, they have some kind of information. But it makes it possible to compile.
You can in fact half-fed, it is possible for a quarter of the truth can be a bit of truth to dilute, and then use this information to mislead the public opinion in one way or another country. Russia is no exception, we are always the target of these attacks. We already know that.
Question: Vladimir Vladimirovich, do you know that you have become the hero of a new series of cartoons about the Simpsons? There you are campaigning to vote for Trump. And in life how? You have already been asked this question many times: who is preferable, Clinton or Trump?
And again recently by US Vice-President said that we can not influence the election in the United States. Frankly we are trying to influence? In general, we need it?
V.Putin: And how did he say? More precisely? We can not drastically affect. The correspondent had to ask him: can not cardinally, and not cardinally? He seems to recognize that we can influence, but I want to calm everyone down, including our American partners and friends: we are not going to influence the course of the election campaign in the United States.
The answer is very simple: we do not know what will happen after the election of the US President. Mrs. Clinton chose this aggressive rhetoric and aggressive stance toward Russia, and Mr. Trump, on the contrary, calls for cooperation, at least in the fight against terrorism.
Of course, we welcome anyone who wants to work with us, and we consider erroneous position that we need to constantly quarrel with someone, thus creating a threat to themselves and the world. Do not seek, in any case, the desired results in the fight against terrorism.
But how it will be after the elections, we do not know for sure. We do not know whether the candidate for President Trump will realize his intentions, how far he will go in the direction of cooperation with us, whether he will realize his threats, whether harsh rhetoric will be implemented towards Russia by Mrs. Clinton, if she becomes President, she will adjust her position too. This is all unknown to us.
Once again, I consider sacrificing Russian-American relations in the course of domestic political events in the United States to be harmful, counterproductive. This is not the first time. Please note, analyze all previous election campaigns - everything repeats and repeats, I have already said.
And then we still whisper in his ear: You wait, wait, is now to be held, and all normal. You know, not even funny already. But if someone wants a confrontation is not our choice. So, the problem will be some. We would not want that. We would like, on the contrary, seek common ground and work together to address global problems faced by both Russia and the United States and the world.
Question: On Friday, the CSTO summit took place in Yerevan, where Alexander Lukashenko said that organizations need to formulate new priorities so that they are, if not feared, then respected. Could you clarify what exactly was discussed, what new priorities? Do you yourself think that the CSTO overlook other military organizations? And to talk about priorities: is the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh a priority for the CSTO?
V.Putin: I will begin with what you have finished.
We talked, of course, about Karabakh, we talked about a certain tension arising between other countries, the republics of the former Soviet Union. And that's what I think about this, I told my colleagues about it: You understand, let's say, in the same NATO organization, there are also problems between the member countries of the organization, for example, between Turkey and Greece on the Cyprus issue. What is the unknown here?
It is well known that such problems last for years, if not decades, but does NATO really fight with one or the other country? But for us it doesn’t even matter whether one or another country, the former republic of the USSR, is in the CSTO or not. It is important for us that we have special with all these countries,
historically established relations, and they are much closer and deeper than just relations between NATO countries. We can not ignore this.
CSTO was created for relief of external threats to nature. Of course, we kind of have to react to what is happening around us, but we must strive to ensure that all the problems that we have inherited from the past, resolved by peaceful means and on the basis of compromises, that compromises are ready to go and one and the other side. In this context, we also discussed the Karabakh problem, and others.
Basically, what I have just said, it is not much different from the position of Alexander Lukashenko. But in order to clarify what he thought and what he wants to do, it is better to ask him. It is bright enough speaker. He'll explain everything.
Question: Can I ask a question about the domestic economy? By privatization? We have already passed the sale of Bashneft - Rosneft. Now we are selling Rosneft, potential candidates are not yet known, but Rosneft itself has already said that it wants to buy out its own shares. From the point of view of corporate practice, this is normal, but from the point of view of privatization, if this happens, it will turn out to be not quite real privatization. Do you agree with this?
V.Putin: Yes, I agree. I'll explain now.
You are absolutely right, we are not striving for this. The question is not to provide buy back, the repurchase of Rosneft’s own shares, and calm down and fall asleep safely, without thinking about anything. No, if it is done, it is only as an interim step in order to do the following, according to true privatization, including with the involvement of strategic investors, it may be foreign, under state control, because Rosneft itself is under state control And government representatives on the board of directors can easily control all this.
If Rosneft manages to sell its own shares together with the Government of the Russian Federation, if we do all this, it will be a natural step, a real big privatization of large Russian state property, without losing the controlling stake.
But if the market is low, if we fail to agree, then we do not exclude this step as a preliminary step for further work on privatization. Therefore, I want to reassure you - and you, and experts who are closely following this: we are not going to create, as I have already said many times, state capitalism.
We will follow the path of real privatization, but not in a falling market, but if in a falling market - with those who understand that the market is falling, and it will grow, and is ready to act as an investor with a certain premium.
Or do a little lag time, but the budget is still in this year one way or another have to get the money, that's the whole point.
And I think that this is a fairly cautious, not to say filigree plan that the Government has approved.
Question: Vladimir Vladimirovich, resolve the question about canceling your visit to France. French President Hollande said he wanted to discuss with you the situation in Syria, but you refused. Why did it happen?
V.Putin: It is inaccurate, apparently, they understood the President of France. The main reason, the main reason for my proposed trip to France was the opening of our religious and cultural center and visiting the exhibition of Russian artists.
Strictly speaking, the purpose of the visit was precisely this - joint participation in these international humanitarian events. But due to well-known circumstances around the Syrian problem, the French side decided that this part is now inexpedient as a joint event.
And on the second, we almost did not even agree. We have other problems besides Syria, it was possible to talk about other problems. Among other things, France is not so deeply involved in the Syrian settlement. We remember that there was a moment when the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle approached the shores of Syria, and it seemed that we had agreed to work together, but after a couple of days, he turned around and left towards the Suez Canal. What about something to say?
Of course, we are always ready to talk with everyone. Moreover, we are interested in, so that more countries could be involved in this process, the more such a large, a great power like France, with its capabilities.
But, again, this was not the main reason for a trip to Paris, and if the principal has disappeared, then meet on the issues which were, as it were, too, on the agenda, but were considered as the main, is simply meaningless.
I repeat once again: France works for us in the group of “Friends of Syria”, but in order to be so deeply involved in the Syrian issue, there is no such thing.
Question: Vladimir Vladimirovich, just in an interview with the French you said that the Americans did not listen to our information about the Tsarnaev brothers. In general, is there any interaction between us, dialogue?
Vladimir Putin: There is always a dialogue. And about this information ... Well, yes, I don’t remember when it was, you probably remember it better than me. That was before the tragic events in Boston during the marathon.
In just a few months, we have informed the American partners. On my FSB is made, sent them a formal notice in writing that we are in the development of such a people, they are dangerous, and we invite them to work together. There was no answer.
It took some more time. Bortnikov came to me, saying, do not respond. I say write more. Yes, yes, yes, this is a direct question. He again wrote. In my opinion, from the second or third time received the answer: they are citizens of the United States, do not climb, we shall understand ourselves. I said, okay, if so, so.
After a month or a couple of months there was a terrorist attack in Boston during the marathon. This is further evidence of the fact that those who are in favor of cooperation, especially in the fight against terrorism ... Of course, their position is correct. We always adhere to this point of view.
But there are also examples of good cooperation. For example, during the preparation and holding of the Olympic Games in Sochi, the US side, US intelligence agencies have established contact real business, partnership, and helped to ensure safety. We are grateful to them for it.
Question: Vladimir Vladimirovich, we know that you yesterday also communicated with partners from India and China. Could you tell us about the main results? Maybe some topics were given special attention? And we know that an important supply agreement with the Triumph C-400 was signed with India. What volumes are we talking about? When can deliveries begin? And maybe some other aspects of cooperation on the PTS were discussed?
V.Putin: Yes, India is one of our priority partners, generally strategic. I probably do not need to recall the period when we had the slogan "Hindi bhai bhai Russia" in our fashion. In fact, since then, little has changed, if not to say that our relationship has become even deeper.
But the military-technical cooperation is not the only sphere of activity, which is of interest to us. We have, unfortunately, very few involve our capabilities in the civilian economy, and it is very much you can do.
India is a huge market, 1 billion 250 million people. Moreover, a significant part of the population of India lives at a fairly high level, already at the level of Central European incomes. That is, the market here is very large for our products.
We tried to find additional niches for this cooperation. And here a lot is possible, first of all, in the development of, say, our cooperation in space, aviationengineering in general. As for military-technical cooperation, the quality of this area of our interaction is very good, maybe even better than with many other countries, and it lies in the fact that we not only sell high-tech modern weapons to India, but also are engaged in joint development.
C-400 “Triumph” - yes, these are multibillion-dollar deals, billions of dollars. It is not even about hundreds of millions, but about billions of dollars.
Then you know that we will improve the Brahmos missile system, and we will do it on land, air and sea bases. We will work on increasing the range of these systems. And we will work together on the fifth generation aircraft. He is already in the air, in principle, we have already lifted him into the air, but there is still something to work on. This is the famous aircraft T-50.
I also mentioned, once again I will say that the quality of our relations in this area is characterized and different in that we help Indian friends gain additional competencies. You know that we organized the assembly and production of the latest tanks T-90 and Sukhoi Su-30 aircraft.
Question: Returning to the topic of the BRICS summit, how much did you discuss the Syrian issue with the leaders of the BRICS countries, considering that you had ratified an agreement on the deployment of our air group in Syria on the eve of your trip to India? In general, the leaders of the BRICS countries on the Syrian issue come out with a common position?
V.Putin: Yes, in general, everyone is speaking with a common position, and not as a whole from a common position. Everyone believes that it is necessary to consistently fight terrorism. Of course, at the same time everyone believes that there is no other way to finally solve the Syrian problem, except for the diplomatic way.
In this regard, I informed all our colleagues and friends on the "five" about how we see the situation unfolding in Syria in general and around Aleppo in particular.
Question: Vladimir Vladimirovich, a trip to Berlin is planned. As your assistant said, it all depends on the effectiveness of the representatives of the conflicting parties. How are you set up? Intend to go? You are asked a lot about the resolution of the Ukrainian conflict, and you have to say the same thing all the time that, roughly speaking, the ball is on the side of the Ukrainian authorities, who do not do what they should. How do you think you can change this? Will not this war and peace continue forever?
V.Putin: I hope that it is not forever, and I hope that all these problems will be solved as soon as possible.
Now about the trip to Berlin. We agreed with the President of France and the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, when we recently spoke on the phone, that this meeting in Berlin would be expedient, but only if our assistants - they met, in my opinion, on Saturday and Sunday in Minsk - would this advanced the dialogue is so far away to give us an opportunity at the summit to fix these agreements. If the agreements at the level of assistants are not reached, then the meeting in this format, the “Norman format,” at the highest level, will be premature.
Now for the performance-failure. I know that my colleague, President Poroshenko made to article, in my opinion, in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, where once again trying to shift some responsibility on Russia, citing unresolved security. I think that this is just an excuse to do nothing in the political sphere.
It is necessary to go at least in parallel - and striving for the realization of security issues, and making the steps absolutely necessary for a settlement in general and for a long-term perspective in the political sphere. Without this, a settlement will be impossible. And how can the people who live in this region, in this case in the Donbass, be finally sure that they will not be prosecuted, that they will not be missed and dragged to prison for separatism, for terrorism?
There it is possible to “pile prisoners” on them, if the law on amnesty for all citizens who live there is not adopted in advance. But how can people be sure that their rights will be secured and guaranteed without the implementation of this law on special status, adopted by the Rada, and enshrined in the Constitution?
And why do you need it to be enshrined in the Constitution? If you just implement, then tomorrow will be canceled as contradicting the Constitution. It's all well aware, so you need to make these changes to the Constitution. Everyone knows about it, about 17 hours in Minsk said all night. If this is not done, then it means that the current authorities are not prepared to address the problems in the south-east of their own country.
Question: Vladimir Vladimirovich, I will return a little bit to BRICS. “Family” photo, blue suit - tell me, did they recommend it to you, or is it your choice, given that India has its own traditions and does blue mean strength and fight against evil? And one more sub-question: Temer stood next to you, you just said that you spoke with the President of Brazil. Should I trust WikiLeaks, which in 2011 published information that he was allegedly recruited as an informant by the United States? Reassure.
V.Putin: Listen, we started with the fact that the USA overhears everyone and spies on everyone. All of you - the object of development of the relevant services. You laugh in vain, and I will tell you why. Because you are a carrier of certain information. You enter the presidential pool, you are used to it, you can hear something, see something, talk to someone.
You freely chat on phones, on open communication, and carry on the air that you consider necessary and in general about what you think or only you suppose. This is of interest. So, for each of you, you can start a business - surely it is - and keep track of all your negotiations. All this is systematized, formed, analyzed. This is what the NSA does.
Remark: And the Russian?
V.Putin: Russian work strictly within the framework of Russian legislation. And the NSA, as we found out from former employees, even violates American law. We act only by court decisions, and they do not resort to such decisions, as it turned out. This is a significant difference in the practice of the activities of Russian and American intelligence services.
With regard to the one who recruited and where I know I do not know, and I'm not interested. You know, there are still some things that they lie in the fact that a person at a certain level is guided by the interests of the country and the state, the people of their own country. I can not imagine even theoretically possible that a different approach. I just can not afford even to imagine it. Therefore, we always work with the current government and strive to ensure that we have lined up a very good inter-state trust.
Question: Vladimir Vladimirovich, how do you feel about the introduction of new sanctions because of Syria? And one more thing: now the battle is actively going on for Mosul, artillery is working, shelling. They also say that the aircraft of our allies, those who are very actively criticizing, are also noticeable. Begs certain parallels. How could you rate these double standards?
V.Putin: With regard to sanctions, you know our attitude to any sanctions. This is counterproductive, harmful, there is nothing good in it, and, most importantly, they never achieve the goals that those who introduce these sanctions set themselves.
In general, with regard to sanctions against Russia, whatever it is tied to - to events in the south-east of Ukraine, some other, let's say, even to Syria, - I assure you, the goals of those who formulate this policy and promote it are not solve a specific problem, in this case, the problem of the south-east of Ukraine, and simply formulate a policy of containment of Russia.
If it were not for Ukraine, they would have come up with something else. It’s just that the fact that Russia is not becoming, and, I think, has already become a full-fledged player in the international arena, demonstrates internal political consolidation, by the way, if you want to work with all partners, apparently not very happy. Because work in the international arena implies some kind of concessions, the search for compromises. It seems that reluctance to go on compromises, I want to dictate.
This is the style that has emerged over the past 15 – 20 years with our partners from the United States; they can’t move away from this style. After all, there is usually no dialogue, do you understand? Formulate the position: it is necessary so, so and so. And all the work is further built around what - how they can ensure that everyone agrees with them: whoever is not with us is against us. That's the whole logic. But it’s impossible to work! Therefore, more and more failures occur.
The aim of these sanctions is not to make a decision, and to hold it to strengthen Russia as a full member of the international activities. That is the goal. But this goal will not be achieved by such means.
Now as Mosul. Of course, this parallel is obvious. If we say that a lot of humanitarian problems arises around Aleppo, of course we are now able to show our partners in the Mosul and say: keep in mind, and hundreds of thousands of people live here. This is a million city, and the use of artillery and aviation is very dangerous in terms of possible civilian casualties.
We hope that our American and, in this case, French partners will act selectively and will do everything to minimize and, best of all, eliminate civilian casualties. Of course, we do not intend to inflate hysteria on this matter in the way our partners in the West do, because we understand that we need to fight terrorism, and there is no other way than active struggle.
Question: Continuing the Syrian theme. Sending Russian flagships fleet, the aircraft carrier and the Moscow missile cruiser to the Mediterranean, does it mean that some kind of attack is coming on the strongholds of terrorists and ...
V.Putin: Now I will tell you this: when will the offensive, how much, where will it start from ...
Question: Then in the continuation of the topic. Diplomatic relations with America were upset because of the Syrian issue. Do you expect ...
Vladimir Putin: What-what-what?
Question Relations with America were upset on the Syrian issue ...
Vladimir Putin: Do you think so?
Question: I think so.
V.Putin: You are mistaken. You remember what happened around Yugoslavia. Everything started from there, I was not the president either. Did I fly the plane over the Atlantic? This, in my opinion, Primakov did.
Question: Yes, Evgeny Maksimovich.
V.Putin: By the way, Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was all good and good, and as soon as he took a tough position with respect to Yugoslavia, everyone immediately began to recall that he loves to drink, and that, and that, and that, and went compromise. That's it started.
You see, I just said: I do not like our independent position, that is the problem. And then it went on - on Iraq. Incidentally, we were not the initiators of the position on Iraq. I know this well, I was convinced of the need to take such a position on Iraq, which was finally taken by the leaders of Germany and France. After Saddam Hussein was hanged, everyone rejoiced and remember what they said? "You were against it, but they came and won." Whether they won is the question.
Iraq, as well as Libya was never a center of terrorism, and after the elimination of the state structures there, they have become a hotbed of terrorism. Now you need to attack Mosul, where millions of people using aircraft, tanks and artillery. Here is the result. And in Libya do not understand what to do.
The state ceased to exist, a hotbed of terrorism, mass flow of refugees went. So what, you think that we have because of Syria changed relationship with the United States? No, not because of Syria, and because of attempts to impose a single country around the world their own decisions.
We are not against this country, but we are against decisions taken unilaterally and not thought out to the end, without taking into account historical, cultural, religious characteristics of this or that country, even if there are conflicts and contradictions in this country.
Question: Until the Administration changes, it is pointless to expect any improvement, detente?
V.Putin: I think it’s always necessary to hope for the best. Our contact continues with the Administration. Here, Mr. Kerry recently met with Lavrov, we are generally in contact with President Obama. The administration works, in general, despite the fact that there is a month and a half before the elections. Is there an election in November?
Still, they work, we must pay tribute to them, to the end and rather hard. Therefore, there are contacts, they continue in almost all areas, and if our partners in the States intend to work with us, we will, if they don’t want, they don’t.
Question: Vladimir Vladimirovich, your position on the sanctions is well known, I absolutely agree. But about the response ...
V.Putin: It is possible to finish this.
Remark: A question about something else ...
Vladimir Putin: A point would be so good.
Question: The question is a little bit about something else - about retaliatory sanctions. It is clear that we also made such a step, but, you know, I communicate with representatives of large business, small business, and those who work for export, and those who work in the framework of BRICS.
Everyone speaks with one voice: Russian retaliatory sanctions are the strengthening of Western sanctions against the Russian business. But the same Chinese, Indians, too, are watching. They think to start some kind of investment project with Russian companies, look back at sanctions, look back at the counter sanctions of Russia, too ... This is not good for them. Since the sanctions have been going on for several years, you can somehow generalize this idea and see ... Maybe, make selective, mitigate somehow the retaliatory sanctions of Russia?
Vladimir Putin: Now I will explain my position to you. I said this briefly, but correctly, and now I will try to reveal it.
First, I do not agree that these our countermeasures are sanctions. These are not sanctions, but countermeasures to protect our market. After all, look what happened? These are really forced measures.
We have introduced certain restrictions, for example, in the field of finance: our banks can not perekreditovyvatsya, and at the same time our market is fully open to partners. In general, since the beginning of 90-ies the situation was such that even our agricultural producers to recapture part of their market is almost impossible.
Yes, we took advantage of this situation and took some restrictive measures. But look what happens even in the conditions of a reduction in GDP and a fall in industrial production in the past and the year before last: an increase in the production of agricultural products is 3,6 percent, and regularly, year after year.
We are now definitely fixing: more recently, we imported 1 million 400 thousand tons of poultry meat, and now we ourselves are thinking how to sell it to foreign markets. We almost closed the internal needs. The same is not the same, but we are approaching the same indicators - for pork.
Yes, we have problems with vegetables, especially with fruits, but we understood that this would happen. There was a definite increase in prices in the domestic market, but this gave a chance to domestic producers, of course, with the support of the state — this support exists; you can say, less or more is needed, but it is, and it is essential, to restore your own strength and occupy the necessary niches in your own market.
Now we are, let's normalize relations with Turkey, some niches are opening. What we discovered, when I was in Turkey, said: stone fruit and citrus. We do not produce any stone fruit, citrus or what to keep in here? On the contrary, it will create competition for other importers.
Yes, in the industry. This import substitution is the so-called ... I will honestly and frankly tell you: I had a big alarm, an internal alarm, so we regularly meet with representatives of the civil defense industry and discuss what is happening in these areas, what are the results of actions. Including, say, our decision that large companies with state participation should provide a specific market for small and medium-sized domestic enterprises.
The real effect of giving, you know? They got the money to market their products, and in a large extent, this high-tech products, and these products are growing. I'm not talking about import substitution in the defense industry: unacceptable when we are dependent on the components in microelectronics for the Strategic Missile Forces, or other highly sensitive systems. This relationship disappears. For example, this applies not only to Ukrainian suppliers, this also applies to suppliers from other countries, from Europe, the United States.
One hundred percent - one hundred percent, I want to emphasize! - our helicopters were completed with Ukrainian-made engines. It was all over - we built one plant, now we are completing the second one and, maybe, even have already launched it. Everything. But it will be a different product.
All the so-called import substitution is not just that we moved the production of one engine to Russia. No, it's just a completely different technological level. And in this sense, this is exactly the element of development.
The same thing, there's just more difficult, is the same: as soon as we finish the work on propulsion systems for the Navy. It has a synergistic effect and civilian industries. But, by the way, with regard to Ukraine, I would like to say it, and thank you for your question, we see that there is, unfortunately, degradation occurs, then, what we talked about, there is a de-industrialization of the country.
But we have at any time, as soon as this wish our Ukrainian partners are ready to deploy our needs to the capabilities of the Ukrainian industry. Including in the direction of the joint co-operation to refurbish the Ukrainian defense and civil industries. But just in case, of course, I repeat once again, will create the appropriate conditions, if our partners want it.
And, finally, how to react to this, our counter-measures against those countries which have introduced sanctions against us, our partners in the BRICS. I somehow do not see they have any concerns, because in respect of goods in these countries, we do not introduce any restrictions and are not going to enter.
Moreover, these limitations that we put into those countries that have imposed sanctions against us, give our partners in the BRICS and other our partners additional opportunities in the Russian market. And they actively use these opportunities. So here I do not see any problems and difficulties.
Question: Will Russia introduce new sanctions?
Vladimir Putin: Do you know what I want to say? After all, we deliberately imposed restrictions on agricultural products. This is such an asymmetrical answer: they are for us in industrial products, for some types of dual, as they consider, assignments, restrictions on financing - we cannot do the same in response, that is, we can, but it will be meaningless - and we did the area where it creates problems for them.
There are billions of dollars in damages to think you do see. This is not, we believe, it is considered a Western experts and representatives of relevant industries, including, by the way, and the industry. But we did it, where it was to our advantage to do so.
And we will not do anything just to punish someone, to punish ourselves — to buy a ticket and not go. So we will not do. We do not plan anything yet, no response, countermeasures. We need to see how our partners will behave, and on the basis of this already make decisions.
Thank you all for your attention. Bye.
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