President of Russia
Vladimir Putin answered journalists’ questions on the results
of the two-day G20 Summit.
July
8, 2017
17:20
Hamburg
1 of 7
News
conference following the G20 Summit.
July 8, 2017
President of Russia
Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon,
Allow
me to skip any statements and monologues. You have seen
and heard everything, a great deal. Let us get straight
to questions.
Go
ahead, please.
Question: Mr President, both
experts and ordinary people, some of whom are rampaging near this
building now, are known to have different opinions
on the usefulness of G20 summits. At this summit,
for example, there was more talk about your meeting with Mr Trump.
And yet which of the issues discussed by the G20 is
most relevant for Russia? Thank you.
Vladimir Putin:
G20 is primarily an economic forum, even though many political
and similar issues emerge. Nevertheless, the main issue is
the development of the global economy, and this is what
received the greatest attention.
We
agreed on determining global economy sustainability principles,
and this is vitally important for working along the same
standards.
Then
we continued with the issue which in fact had been launched
in St Petersburg: money laundering and everything connected with tax
havens and tax evasion. It is a crucial matter with practical
implications.
Next,
no less important and also connected with the economy, a related
but very important issue – the fight against terror, tracking money
flows to prevent the funding of terrorism.
Finally,
a very big and very sensitive issue is climate change. I think
in this respect the Federal Republic of Germany chairing
the G20 has managed to reach the best compromise
in a difficult situation the chairing nation has found itself
in, namely due to the US quitting the Paris Climate Agreement.
An agreement was reached, a compromise, when all the countries
have recorded that the United States pulled out of the agreement
but they are ready to continue cooperating in certain areas
and with certain countries on addressing climate change challenges.
I think this is a positive result in itself, which can be
credited to Chancellor Merkel.
There
are other issues we looked into. For example, digital economy. Here we
proposed adopting common rules in the area of digital economy,
defining cyber security and designing a comprehensive system
of behaviour rules in this sphere.
We
said today – the President of the South African Republic
spoke very convincingly about it; in fact, this issue was touched upon
in practically everyone’s speech and in some way it is reflected
in the final documents – that we must be ready
for the release of the labour force, we must make joint
efforts, we must figure out what should be done with the workers who have
lost their jobs, how to arrange retraining, what the deadlines are
and what rules should be put in place.
Among
other things I drew attention to the fact that trade unions will
have to be engaged because they will protect not only the workers but
also the self-employed individuals operating in the digital
economy, and the number of such jobs is increasing. This is
connected in one way or another with women’s rights
and education for girls. This is being discussed at many forums
but we talked about it today in the context of digital economy.
Overall,
this forum is definitely effective, and I believe it will play
a role in stabilising the global economy in general.
Question: Mr President,
I would like to follow up on my colleague’s topic. Even
though there were many political issues at the summit, they keep
on surfacing at the G20 summits more and more often, yet
you listed economic issues, which remain the priority anyway. Many
speakers, ministers from different countries responsible
for the economy, said that 2017 could become the year
of global economic growth. How feasible is that and will this growth
be seen in Russia in view of the current unfavourable
trends – sanctions, restrictions and other factors?
Vladimir Putin: We
have not seen any unfavourable trends so far, or they have almost
disappeared at any rate. Certain factors are having a negative impact
on economic development, including in the global economy,
the economy in the Euro zone and in Russia, those same
illegitimate restrictions you have mentioned. We call for lifting any
restrictions, for free trade, for working within the World Trade
Organisation, in line the WTO rules. By the way, one
of the topics discussed here was free trade and countering
protectionism. This is also one of the crucial areas that should be
mentioned.
On the whole,
there is some progress. However, the initial optimistic growth forecasts
have been downgraded. Nevertheless, there is growth, and it is apparent,
including in Russia.
I said
recently and repeated it here that Russian economic growth is tangible,
the Russian economy, and we can say this with certainty, has
recovered from the recession. We have been growing for the third
quarter in a row, and soon it will be the fourth quarter
in a row. Growth exceeded 3 percent in May: it was 3.1 percent.
I think we will have an average of 2 percent in 2017. This
is also a significant contribution to the global economic
growth.
Let
me remind you that we also have low unemployment of 5.2 percent, our
reserves are growing, including the reserves of the Central Bank
and the Government. The Central Bank reserves have already
reached $412 billion. The federal budget revenues grew by 40 percent,
and all this is happening against the background of fairly low
inflation of 4.4 percent. All this taken together certainly gives us
optimism; however, one cannot say with certainty that this is a long-term
trend. We must take care to sustain this growth trend. I have every
reason to believe that we will manage to do it.
Question: Mr President, your
meeting with President Trump was literally the focus of everyone's
attention at the summit. How do you access the results
of this meeting? It is no secret that US President had voiced a rather
tough rhetoric in Poland, and there had even been unfriendly
statements from US media in the run-up to the summit. Did
Mr Trump ask you directly about Russia's interference in the US
[presidential] election? Did you like him personally? Do you think you will get
along?
Vladimir Putin:
The US President asked me this question directly, and we discussed
it. And this was not a single question, there were many, and he
gave much attention to this issue. Russia's stance is well-known
and I reiterated it. There is no reason to believe that Russia
interfered in the US election process.
But
what is important is that we have agreed that there should not be any
uncertainty in this sphere, especially in the future.
By the way, I mentioned at the latest summit session
that this directly concerns cyberspace, web resources and so on.
The US
President and I have agreed to establish a working group
and make joint efforts to monitor security
in the cyberspace, ensure full compliance with international laws
in this area, and to prevent interference in countries'
internal affairs. Primarily this concerns Russia and the United
States. We believe that if we succeed in organising this work –
and I have no doubt that we will – there will be no more
speculation over this matter.
As regards
personal relations, I believe that they have been established. This is how
I see it: Mr Trump's television image is very different from the real
person; he is a very down to earth and direct person,
and he has an absolutely adequate attitude towards the person he
is talking with; he analyses things pretty fast and answers
the questions he is asked or new ones that arise
in the course of the discussion. So I think that if we
build our relations in the vein of our yesterday's meeting,
there are good reasons to believe that we will be able to revive,
at least partially, the level of interaction that we need.
Question: To follow up
on of your answer, could you please say if President Trump has
accepted your denial of Russia’s involvement, Russia’s interference
in the US election?
Vladimir Putin:
I repeat, he asked many questions on this matter. I answered all
of his questions as far as I could. I think he took
note and agreed. But it would be better if you asked him about what he
thinks about it.
Question: One more question
about the domestic policy, if I may. Actually, it is unrelated
to the G20 but the question is about Russia’s domestic policy.
I would like to ask what you think of Alexei Navalny
and his activities. And why you do not say his name and surname
when you answer questions about him.
Vladimir Putin:
I think we can engage in dialogue, especially at the level
of the President or the Government, with the people
who propose a constructive agenda, even if they voice criticism. But if
the point is to attract publicity, this does not encourage dialogue.
Question: Earlier this
morning you had a meeting with the French President
and the German Chancellor. I assume you had an in-depth
discussion on the situation in Ukraine. Did a new vision
emerge, and is there any hope that Donbass will come out
of the ordeal gripping it right now? Can the discussion
of the issue launched with the US President play its role,
or do the interests of Russia and the United States
still diverge in Ukraine, or may be even oppose each other
in some matters? Which, by the way, can be presumed from
the background of the US diplomat who was appointed special
envoy.
Vladimir Putin:
The interests of Russia and Ukraine, the interests
of the Russian and Ukraine people – and I am
fully and profoundly confident of this – coincide. Our interests
fully coincide. The only thing that does not coincide is
the interests of the current Ukrainian authorities and some
of Ukraine's political circles. If we are to be objective,
of course, both Ukraine and Russia are interested in cooperating
with each other, joining their competitive advantages and developing their
economies just because we have inherited much from the Soviet era –
I am speaking about cooperation, the unified infrastructure
and the energy industry, transport, and so on.
But
regrettably, today our Ukrainian colleagues believe this can be neglected. They
have only one ”product“ left – Russophobia, and they are selling it
successfully. Another thing they are selling is the policy of dividing
Russia and Ukraine and pulling the two peoples and two
nations apart. Some in the West like this; they believe that Russia
and Ukraine must not be allowed to get closer in any areas. That
is why the current Ukrainian authorities are making active and successful
efforts to sell this ”product.“
But
I think this will eventually come to an end. Russia, at any
rate, wants for this situation to be over as soon
as possible.
As regards
the United States' involvement in settling the situation
in Ukraine, President Trump and I have talked about this
and we agreed – and actually, this has already been done –
that a special representative of the administration would be
appointed to handle this issue on a permanent basis
and to be in constant contact both with Russia and Ukraine,
with all the parties interested in settling this conflict.
Question: Mr President,
I have a question about the Middle East, which is seething
at the moment: Syria, Qatar and other countries. You must have
had discussions on Syria at the G20 Summit. How do you assess
the prospects for the Syrian settlement after those discussions
and after the recent meeting in Astana? Has the stance
of the new US Administration on this issue changed or become
more constructive, especially in view of yesterday’s agreements?
And also about Qatar,
if I may. How do you assess the situation? Was it discussed
at the G20 Summit?
And one more question,
if I may…
Vladimir Putin:
I will have to make a full report to you. (Laughter.)
Question: Well, one does not
often get this chance. On the terrorism issue: as far
as I know, agreeing
on the Statement on Countering Terrorism was
a difficult process. If it is not a secret, what were the major
contradictions?
Vladimir Putin:
To be honest, I am not aware of the difficulties, you had
better ask the Sherpa. In my view, there were no basic
objections from anyone. Maybe some of the wording. But, to be
honest, I am not aware of that. I know that the text was
agreed on. At any rate, at the level of delegation heads,
heads of state, there were no problems or tensions. Everyone admits
that this is a common threat and everyone states their readiness
to fight this threat.
As for Qatar,
the problem was not discussed. It is a fairly burning regional issue,
and can impact certain processes, by the way, including
in the economy, in the energy area and in terms
of security in the region, but I did not discuss this issue
with anybody during the Summit.
About
Syria. Yes, we discussed this issue with almost all
of my interlocutors. As for whether the US stance has
changed or not – I would say it has become more pragmatic. It
does not seem to have changed in general, but there is
an understanding now that by combining efforts, we can achieve
a lot. Yesterday's deal on the southern de-escalation zone is
clearly the result of this change. You know, others may react
as they like, but I can tell you, this is one
of the breakthroughs we have made in our work with President
Trump. This is a real result of cooperation, including with
the United States. Jordan has joined in the effort, and so
have several other countries in the region. We have held
consultations with Israel and will continue them in the near
future. Still, this is a very good result, a breakthrough
of a kind. Therefore, if we move the same way in other
directions, towards other de-escalation areas…
We
have discussed this very thoroughly with the President of Turkey
today. This does not entirely depend on us, of course, as much
has to do with the controversy between the countries
in the region. Everyone has their own concerns, everyone has their
own preferences, their own interests, I mean legitimate interests, so this
is the way we must treat these – as their legitimate interests;
we need to look for compromises.
You
know, sometimes we find them. In any case, the fact that active
military operations have ceased, the fact that we are now discussing
de-escalation zones is a huge step forward.
Now
we need to agree on the exact boundaries of these zones,
and how security will be ensured there. This is a painstaking, even
tedious effort, and it is extremely important and responsible work.
Based on the recent positive experience, relying
on the good will of Iran, Turkey, and of course,
the Syrian Government and President al-Assad, we can take further steps.
The most
important thing is – we have actually reaffirmed this, also
in the documents establishing this zone in the south
on the border with Jordan, and the area that borders
on the Golan Heights – the most important thing is
to ensure Syria’s territorial integrity, eventually, so that these
de-escalation zones become the prototype of regions that could
cooperate with each other and with the official Damascus. If we
manage to do this, we will lay the groundwork, create
the prerequisites for resolving the entire Syrian problem
by political means.
Question: We have
already talked about interfering in the elections but we have new
elections coming up in Germany.
Vladimir Putin:
Here in Germany?
Question: These days we
say “we have elections in Germany” in September. Is Russia planning
to interfere in them? Did you notify Angela Merkel about how we are
going to do it? Maybe you will give me a hunch
as well? (Laughter in the audience.)
Vladimir Putin:
You are asking rather provocative questions. But I told you that we had
not interfered in the United States either. Why should we make
trouble here as well? We have very good relations with the Federal
Republic. It is our largest trade and economic partner in Europe
country-wise, one of our leading trade partners in the world. We
have large joint projects on the agenda that we support,
for example, Nord Stream 2. There are a lot of tales being told
about it, arguments and even resistance but it is absolutely evident that
it is in the interests of the European economy
and in the interests of the German economy, which
wants to abandon nuclear power.
Why
would we do it? Interfering in domestic political processes is
the last thing we would wish to do.
If
you look at the press, the German press
or the European press in general, the French press, it is
they who keep on interfering in our domestic affairs. But we are not
concerned about it because we feel confident.
Question: Thank you
very much, Mr President, for the opportunity to ask you
a question on behalf of my television network. We meant
to ask you about your meeting with President Trump, but my colleague
has already asked the same question. And you said we should ask
President Trump about what had happened.
Vladimir Putin:
No, I did not. You should ask him about how he sees it, what he thinks
about my answers. As to what happened – nothing happened,
we did not interfere.
Remark: Unfortunately,
the White House offers practically no information about what is going on.
Vladimir Putin:
We will give them a piece of our minds. (Laughter.)
Remark: Could you just share
what President Trump said during your meeting when you told him that Russia had
not interfered in the political process?
Vladimir Putin:
He started asking probing questions, he was really interested in some
details. I gave him fairly detailed answers as much
as I could. I told him about my dialogues with
the previous administration, including with President Obama. But I do
not feel that I have the right to give details
of my conversations, say, with President Obama, it is not
an accepted practice at this level. I think it would not be
quite appropriate of me to give details of our conversation with
President Trump. He asked me and I answered him. He asked probing
questions, and I offered explanations. I think he was satisfied
with those answers.
Remark: Thank you very
much.
Vladimir Putin:
You are welcome.
Question: Going back
to the issue of boosting economic growth,
to the measures that could be taken, the Government has already
drafted a plan, and as far as we know, you have read it but
for some reason the plan is classified. We know some parts of it
from what you said about them.
Vladimir Putin:
Let me explain. As you must know, we have several groups working
on this issue: a group headed by Mr Titov with the involvement
of the business community, and a group headed by Mr
Kudrin, who has gathered a large number of respected experts.
The Government is also working. But we should make a plan that will
be acceptable, optimal for the next steps to be taken in the economy
starting in 2018. And we must review all the proposals, assess
them and in the end, make the final decision.
It
may not be one of the proposals submitted; it may be something based
on all three proposals. But work is currently underway, and we do not
talk about it in advance.
But
the Government has certainly done a great deal in this area,
and we will rely largely on the Government’s proposals. We
cannot ignore the results of Mr Kudrin’s work, and Mr Titov also
has some sensible suggestions. This is why we are working at present
to decide what the final variant will be out
of the proposals for the development
of the Russian economy from 2018 onward.
That
is all. There are no secrets. What is the point? The point is that it
is wrong to announce what has not been adopted yet. We could just send
the wrong signals to the economy, and that is it. It all
comes down to that.
Question: I have
a question about domestic policy. I have learned that you have been
briefed on the [limo] car of the Cortege project, which is
to be used at the 2018 presidential inauguration.
Vladimir Putin:
You seem to know this better than me: this is the first time
I have heard about it.
Question: Have you thought
of going for a drive in this car at the official
event, that is, at the inauguration?
Vladimir Putin:
No, I have not, because the car is not ready yet. You can go
for a drive in it yourself, I will see how it goes,
and later we can test it out together.
Question: You have spoken
about the meeting with Mr Erdogan. Could you please elaborate – when
you touched upon the issue of the first zone, the northern
one, did you discuss the issue of the Kurds
and particularly the territory of Afrin, where representatives
of the Russian Centre for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides
are present? The Turkish media are already preparing the ground
for the Turkish army's intervention to this area. Also, did you
discuss the future of [Syrian President] Bashar al-Assad with Mr
Trump and Mr Erdogan? For instance, Mr Tillerson said yesterday that this
person has no future in the Syrian politics. He did not say how
and when, but that was what he said.
Vladimir Putin:
Let me answer the second question first. Mr Tillerson is
a well-regarded man, he received the Russian Order
of Friendship, and we feel great respect for him and we
like him. But he is not a Syrian citizen, and the future
of Syria and President al-Assad as a political figure has
to be determined by the Syrian people.
As regards
the Kurdish issue, this is a very big and complicated problem.
We keep in contact with many Kurdish groups and make no secret
of this. But with regard to military support of their
activities, here our US colleagues are far ahead of the game; they
are making much greater efforts in this regard.
Our
servicemen – not advisers – who are monitoring the ceasefire are
indeed present in many regions of Syria, where the truce
agreement has been reached. But speaking of the regions you have
mentioned, there are one or two of them there, they are not military
units. They are performing the task that everyone is interested
in fulfilling. But so far, we are not witnessing any preparations
for military action; quite the opposite, we expect that our
preliminary developments on establishing the de-escalation zones
in several regions – in the Idlib area,
in the north – will be accomplished. And this cannot be
done without Turkey's support.
Question: My colleagues
here have already recalled the words President Trump said in Warsaw.
He made yet another statement about the United States being ready
to begin direct supplies of liquefied natural gas to Poland
and Central Europe. What do you think of these plans, especially
in the context of our plans for the Nord Stream? What
if gas becomes a new cause of tension in US-Russian relations?
Vladimir Putin:
I view these plans highly positively because healthy competition is good
for everyone. We support an open market and healthy competition.
The US
President said yesterday during the discussion that the United States
stands for open, fair competition. And, by the way, when
I spoke, I supported his point. So, we are absolutely all right with
this; if it is so, if there is open and fair competition, no political
motives or political resources involved, it would be quite acceptable
for us. Because to date, it is an obvious fact that any
specialist would tell you: the cost of production and delivery
of liquefied natural gas from the United States is much higher than
our LNG – even LNG – and is not even comparable to Russian
pipeline gas. So, there is no doubt that we have an absolute competitive
advantage. But to keep it, our market participants must work hard. They
need to retain these competitive advantages.
Let
us wrap this up. Go ahead, please.
Question: After
the first meeting with President Trump, do you think it would be possible
to gradually pull Russian-US relations out of deep crisis they are
in, or is it difficult to say anything at all yet?
Vladimir Putin:
I very much hope so, and it seems to me that we have built
certain prerequisites for this.
Thank
you very much. All the best.
Additional
July
7 − 8, 2017
See
also
July
7, 2017
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