Live-Blog: Vladimir Putin's 2015 Press Conference

Embed

  1. 15:12 p.m. – Putin announces that the conference is over, stands up and is seen leaving the hall. This year's presser lasted for about 3 hours and 10 minutes, roughly the same as the previous year. “This cannot be finished, it can only be stopped,” Putin said to conclude.
  2. 15:10 p.m. – Putin floats the idea of turning Crimea “into a second Silicon Valley.”
  3. 15:08 p.m. – Putin speaks about Russia's Black Sea fleet and its base in Crimea. Says the infrastructure there is very old and “there's much to be done.”
  4. 15:01 p.m. – Putin says he knew [Boris] Nemtsov personally, and will never come to terms with his assassination. Those responsible should be punished, he says, but it's down to investigators to determine who to punish.
  5. 14:51 p.m. - Putin jokes around about Klops.ru, a Kaliningrad-based news site which happens to share a name with German meatballs. One of its journalists was knocked down by a car belonging to a student training to work for the security services and no legal action followed, says a Kaliningrad journalist. Putin replies that “all guilty parties should be punished.”
  6. 14:50 p.m. - We will all act together to fight terrorist organizations, whatever they're called, Putin says.
  7. 14:45 p.m. - An Egyptian journalist asks when Moscow will let Russian tourists come back. It's not about distrust, Russia wants to protect its citizens and Egyptian law enforcement just cannot deal with the threats, Putin answers, proposes security cooperation.
  8. 14:41 p.m. – Putin speaks about the Turkish Stream gas pipeline project, says Russia needs EU guarantees to go ahead with it.
  9. 14:33 p.m. – Putin says Russia's civil aviation industry should sell its products worldwide. Introduces a new aircraft engine developed in Russia. Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce engines are good, but not as good as ours, he says.
  10. 14:25 p.m. - Putin says hello to the pensioners, praises their patriotism and thanks them for their support.
  11. 14:23 p.m. - Journalist with “OIL” sign gets to ask about oil, says Siberian pensioners asked her to say hello to Putin.
  12. 14:14 p.m. – A correspondent from the RBC news site asks what Putin thinks of the reports that Ekaterina Tikhonova is his daughter. “My daughters live in Russia and studied here. I am proud of them. They are still studying and working here,” Putin answers. “They are not involved in business or politics. I have never discussed my family and am not going to do it now.”
  13. 14:08 p.m. - Putin asks for a question on pensions. Putin gets a question on pensions. Putin answers a question on pensions.
  14. 14:00 p.m. - Putin replies to what he calls an ''extremely important question” about agriculture. Promises more financial support to farmers.
  15. 13:54 p.m. – Putin says that suspended FIFA chief Joseph “Sepp” Blatter is “a widely respected person who should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.”
  16. 13:52 p.m. – “We will work with any president the American people elect”, Putin says.
  17. 13:46 p.m. – State-owned companies may see their ownership structure changed in order to boost their effectiveness, Putin said in response to a journalist asking whether the Gazprom and Rosneft oil companies should be privatized.
  18. 13:42 p.m. – Putin says that the cost of utilities will grow more slowly next year, low-income families are supposed to receive compensation. There is much to be done on that front, he says.
  19. 13:39 p.m. – OTR TV channel correspondent: people in the regions say the average salary there is about 7000 rubles ($99). Can anything be done to bring real wages in line with growing utility prices?
Like
Share

Share

Facebook
Google+