Putin held a meeting on economic issues. The main thing

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting on economic issues on April 15. During it, the head of state cited figures for the last two months. The main statements of the Russian leader are in the material of Izvestia.

About the country's economy

Putin noted during the meeting that statistics show that economic dynamics has been declining for two months in a row.

"In general, in January–February, GDP decreased by 1.8%. Manufacturing industries and industrial production in general, as well as such an important, systemically significant area as construction, turned out to be in the red," he said.

Among the reasons for the negative dynamics, the president added, experts note calendar, weather or seasonal factors. He also recalled that there were two fewer working days in January than last year, and one less working day in February.

"These are, of course, objective circumstances, but it is obvious that they are not the only ones that determine business and investment activity in the country," the head of the Russian Federation noted.

About unemployment

Putin pointed out that the unemployment rate, despite the general economic dynamics, continues to remain at a low level.

"Currently, unemployment is 2.1%. This, among other things, indicates that our labor market is changing, flexible, platform—based types of employment are developing," the president added, recalling that these and other tasks are reflected in the Plan of Structural Changes in the Russian Economy, which was prepared by the Government last year.

In addition, the head of state pointed out that it is important to maintain a balanced budget, maintain its stability, and focus on development, including in the face of sharp fluctuations in foreign markets.

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Context

Kirill Dmitriev, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), announced yesterday that the forecast for Russia's GDP growth in 2026 had improved to 1.6%.

"According to the IMF, the growth of the Russian economy in 2026 by 1.1% will exceed the growth of the UK, which will amount to 0.8%. We forecast Russia's growth in 2026 at 1.6%, which is more than three times higher than our forecast of weak UK growth of 0.5%. Time will tell," Dmitriev wrote on the social network.

The estimate for 2027, according to the IMF, has also been improved by 0.1 percentage points, to 1.1%. If we talk about 2025, the Russian economy grew by 1%.