President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday Russia’s economy could return to growth in less than two years, despite Western sanctions which he said were intended to “contain” his country.
In a confident performance during a televised call-in show, Mr. Putin sounded defiant and patriotic, assuring viewers that Russia will survive an economic crisis deepened by the sanctions and low oil prices, and will always stand up to the West. The former KGB officer, in power for 15 years, made clear he mainly blames the West for Russia’s economic problems, including the weak rouble, high inflation and falling revenues.
Sitting at a desk in a television studio in front of rows of telephone operators taking calls from viewers, Mr. Putin, wearing a suit and tie, said the sanctions were politically motivated by Western powers which he accused of wanting to “contain” Russia.
Mr. Putin defended a decision this week to lift a self-imposed ban on the delivery of the advanced S-300 missile defence system to Iran following an interim deal at talks on Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme. He said, however, that Russia would work “as one” with its partners at the United Nations - signalling Moscow will not violate sanctions still in place on Iran - and that the S-300 deliveries would be a deterrent to violence in the Middle East. Mr. Putin has held a call-in almost every year since he was first elected president in 2000.
