WEBVTT

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Good afternoon. Let us begin. Go ahead, please.

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Good afternoon, Mr President.

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We would like to ask, since I am the first to ask a question,

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about your personal results of the summit.

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There was a lot of scepticism prior to it,

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coming both from other leaders and expressed by you,

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concerning the possible results of the summit.

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Was the scepticism justified? What are the outcomes 

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for world trade and the global economy?

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And the second question, if I may: what were Russia’s objectives here 

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at the G20, and were the results achieved?

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There was certain scepticism, it is true,

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and not from me alone.

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Yet on the whole the G20 summit has proved its relevance,

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we have to admit that, and it was effective in all 

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the major areas of work. The result has been achieved.

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I think we can congratulate the Japanese presidency on that.

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Japan did a lot for the summit’s success, and its efforts paid off.

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I would like to single out four major fields where the needed 

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agreements have been reached.

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It is true that there were no breakthrough decisions.

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However, all the participants reconfirmed their commitment to continue 

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efforts to improve the global trade system,

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including work to reform the WTO.

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The very fact that everyone confirmed the need for the process 

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and reaffirmed their readiness to work along the lines is 

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a positive development in itself.

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Positions have been coordinated, except for the United States,

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which always has a special opinion.

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In fact, the US delegation was open about it from the outset.

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Everyone knows the current Administration’s stance on the Paris 

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Accords. Nevertheless, all the other participants in the forum 

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confirmed their readiness to implement the agreements under 

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the Paris Accords.

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Actually, I think there is also a positive moment in the US position 

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too, since the Americans said they were ready to work 

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on the environmental agenda under their own programme.

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We have to read the final wording but the fact that the Americans say 

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they also want to contribute to solving environmental 

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issues is a positive thing, in my view.

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As to Russia, we spoke about it a number of times and we reaffirmed 

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that at the forum again and also agreed on that in the final document.

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We are going to fully comply with our commitments.

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In the nearest future we will begin the ratification of these 

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agreements and will conduct the necessary domestic procedures.

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These issues are highly relevant for us.

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I stated this at the last plenary session.

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Let me remind you that according to the Federal Service 

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for Hydrometeorology and Environmental 

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Monitoring, the warming in Russia is happening 2.

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5 times faster than the average global warming.

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This is a major challenge for us. We must realise that.

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This is the reason for floods, and for permafrost thawing in the areas 

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where we have fairly big cities.

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We must be able to understand how to react to the climate

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changes underway there.

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In this connection, I informed my colleagues on our national programme 

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in the sphere of environment, a transition to the best available 

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technologies in this area, as well as on a number of other 

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measures we are taking in this field.

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Next, it is crucial for us, and I think it is also a very positive 

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thing – we all know that the Internet is regulated 

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in various ways by different countries.

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Nevertheless, all the G20 summit participants concluded that we must do 

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everything to prevent negative information that is related to terrorism 

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from spreading online.

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It must be careful joint work that is utterly important not only 

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for the G20 nations but also for the whole world.

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The major trends that I have just listed are of interest to us and they 

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all are part of our priorities.

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Oh, sorry, I missed another important area,

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as I said there were four of them.

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The fourth is digitalisation and work on AI.

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The G20 has been dealing with that, and it has dealt with it here,

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and there is a common decision on it.

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It is giving recommendations and indicating a direction 

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for its development. As you know,

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we are working on our own AI programme.

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We have made a decision and the details are being finalised now,

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but it is also very important for us.

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It is unquestionably one of our development priorities.

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Please, go ahead.

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I would like to ask you about your meeting with Mr Trump.

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If you had any expectations, did they materialise,

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and what did you talk about? I am particularly interested if there is 

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any progress on extending the New START treaty.

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And another issue. When Mr Trump refused to meet with you 

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at the previous G20 meeting, he said it was because of the situation 

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in the Kerch Strait and that he would not meet until 

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the Ukrainian sailors are released.

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Will you please tell us if he raised this topic this time.

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To begin with, this topic was raised,

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I do not remember now if it was during the lunch or during our meeting,

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but the President of the United States made this topic a priority 

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of our communication at the G20 summit.

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We also spoke about other issues, naturally,

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but this topic was also raised.

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We explained what was going on there and generally spoke 

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about this topic. No decision has been taken as of yet.

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The case is currently being tried in court.

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We have to wait until it is finished.

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After that we will make a decision.

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The key is to make sure it is disengaged from the Ukrainian election 

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campaign so that such processes are not related 

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to the internal political agenda in Ukraine.

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As far as the New START treaty is concerned,

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we instructed our foreign affairs departments 

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(Mr Lavrov on our side and Mr Pompeo on the US side)

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to launch consultations on these questions.

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I do not know yet if those consultations will lead to the extension 

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of the New START treaty, it is too early to speak about it,

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but we talked about this issue.

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What are your impressions of the meeting in general?

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It was a good meeting. Very business-like and pragmatic.

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We have covered practically the entire range of issues 

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of mutual interest. By the way,

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it also included our economic relations.

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It was agreed that they are unsatisfactory.

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We once again pointed at the US business community’s interest 

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in enhancing economic relations with Russia.

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I drew the US President’s attention to the fact that the US delegation 

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was one of the biggest at the St Petersburg International Economic 

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Forum: there were over 500 members in the delegation,

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I think 550 people. So it gives us food for thought.

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We reasserted readiness to establish a respective structure made up 

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of business communities’ representatives to study issues of further 

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developing our trade and economic relations.

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We naturally talked about the situations in various regions 

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of the world. Overall, those were useful consultations.

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Please, go ahead.

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Good afternoon.

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We saw yesterday the beginning of your meeting with Theresa May.

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It was impossible to miss the attitude she displayed during 

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the handshake. But we certainly remember the statement that relations 

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with Russia cannot be revived unless Russia fulfils certain conditions.

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Yet the meeting did take place.

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What did you talk about? Was this meeting necessary at all considering 

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that Ms May is about to step down? Thank you.

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Regarding this meeting, the Prime Minister did indeed ask 

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questions about Mr Skripal.

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They were prompted due to the fact that your colleagues from 

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The Financial Times raised this issue again and I had to answer it.

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This provoked a return to the issue.

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The Prime Minister indeed takes a very tough stance on this matter.

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We talked about it and clarified our positions.

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However, I still think that common sense must prevail.

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I am confident that we need to restore full-scale relations;

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this was also what the UK businesspeople spoke about when I met with 

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them just recently in Moscow.

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None of the British companies left,

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are leaving or will leave the Russian market.

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In fact, they want to step up cooperation.

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This is why the politicians’ task is at least not to hamper 

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the development of a normal situation,

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and it will be better if they support these positive trends.

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Whether the meeting was needed or not, I think that it was,

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because why not? Yes, she is about to step down but, firstly,

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today she is the current head of government.

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And secondly, even a small step in the positive direction 

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is never wasted.

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Go ahead, please.

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You have just had talks with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia,

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thus my question: did you agree on what should be done with the OPEC+ 

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deal and will you extend the oil production cuts and for how long? 

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In October you are going to Saudi Arabia –

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at least your aide said so recently.

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What other agreements are you planning to make during that visit 

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to Saudi Arabia? I take it you also spoke about it with 

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the Crown Prince.

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Regarding the future visit, preparations for it are currently underway,

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so it is too early to speak about the questions that may be 

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resolved during that visit.

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As for today’s meeting with the Crown Prince,

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we did discuss the possibility of extending our agreements with OPEC 

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regarding oil production cuts.

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I want to inform you that it may have a certain importance 

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for the market; we agreed to extend the agreements,

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or at any rate we will support extending the agreements,

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both Russia and Saudi Arabia.

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By the way, the cuts will be in the previously agreed volume.

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As to for how long, we will have to think about it,

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whether for another six or nine months – maybe up to nine months.

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As was mentioned earlier, we all saw Theresa May’s very stern face 

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as she met you yesterday.

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She said that it was impossible to have a different relationship with 

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Russia unless Russia chooses a different path.

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I’d like to hear what your response to her was.

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Is Russia, as Mrs May says, ready to stop its external attacks,

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its aggression, its meddling in elections,

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and to take a different path, not only to improve relations with 

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Britain, but also with the rest of the West?

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I have great news for you: we never had any intentions to commit any 

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aggressive acts towards anybody.

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It is an illusion, wishful thinking,

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and what is wished for is to have an external adversary whose presence 

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helps solve domestic policy issues.

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We have no aggressive intentions towards anybody.

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Yes, I can confirm what I have already said.

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The Prime Minister acted at our meeting the way she described publicly.

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She expressed her position in a fairly tough form.

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Yes, it is true, that is the way it was.

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I informed her of Russia’s position on a number of issues 

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that act as irritants in our relations.

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I would like to draw you attention to the fact that our actions with 

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respect to our partners will always be mirror-like: we will offer them 

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the same attitude as they show towards us.

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I want everyone to remember that.

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Go ahead, please.

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As we have learnt, the Iran issue was discussed during your 

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meeting with Mr Trump.

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Did you talk about Iran’s presence in Syria? We have noticed 

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the presence of your envoy for Syria here.

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This is a sensitive issue for the Americans.

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Also, did you discuss the situation in Idlib during today’s meeting 

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with Mr Erdogan? The Syrian and Turkish armies exchanged fire 

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yesterday; the escalation reached a new high. Thank you.

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We maintain constant dialogue with our US partners;

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we have established good contacts on the ground, as they say,

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to coordinate our actions and efforts to fight terrorism.

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There are some hotbeds there, and I told the President about the latest 

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joint actions – well, not joint actions but rather 

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coordinating those actions.

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So there was no need for us to immerse into the details 

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at the level of presidents.

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This is being done rather successfully at the operational working level.

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As for our Turkish partners and friends,

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we work with them on a daily basis,

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even more closely than with the Americans,

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so that we know about all the developments there and are 

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trying to monitor them together. We also discussed this problem.

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However, there are some details that should not be disclosed at today’s 

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news conference but the situation is under control.

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Please, go ahead.

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00:16:16.811 --> 00:16:19.313
Could you tell us please about the meeting with Angela Merkel,

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00:16:19.313 --> 00:16:22.383
whether you discussed the resumption of the Normandy format,

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00:16:22.383 --> 00:16:24.393
and if you did, what did you decide on?

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00:16:25.273 --> 00:16:29.094
Yes, we spoke about that, and we agreed to continue 

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00:16:29.094 --> 00:16:32.165
to employ this format further.

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00:16:32.165 --> 00:16:40.282
We spoke about some items on the bilateral agenda and on continuing 

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00:16:40.282 --> 00:16:41.942
work in the Normandy format.

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00:16:41.942 --> 00:16:48.176
I generally agree with the Chancellor that we must use all instruments,

242
00:16:48.176 --> 00:16:49.808
and there are actually not so many of them,

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00:16:49.808 --> 00:16:54.294
and the Normandy format is one of the functioning ones.

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00:16:54.294 --> 00:16:58.624
Yes, we will keep working, the question is when,

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00:16:58.624 --> 00:17:00.683
as the timeframe must be agreed on,

246
00:17:00.683 --> 00:17:06.501
and in which order: whether we should first have consultations with 

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00:17:06.501 --> 00:17:09.727
just two or three of us and then get all four parties together.

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00:17:09.727 --> 00:17:13.410
Basically, yes, but the details must be worked out by our 

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00:17:13.410 --> 00:17:15.523
aides and foreign ministries.

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00:17:21.003 --> 00:17:24.558
Good afternoon, Mr President.

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00:17:24.558 --> 00:17:26.057
I would like to ask a domestic question although it has also become 

252
00:17:26.057 --> 00:17:30.271
international since it has to do with investments in our country.

253
00:17:30.271 --> 00:17:34.641
Journalist Ivan Golunov’s case was unfolding in Moscow during the St 

254
00:17:34.641 --> 00:17:37.288
Petersburg Economic Forum.

255
00:17:37.288 --> 00:17:42.015
It became possible to prevent this injustice committed by the law 

256
00:17:42.015 --> 00:17:44.617
enforcement agencies thanks to the involvement of Presidential 

257
00:17:44.617 --> 00:17:46.829
Executive Office, but especially of the public.

258
00:17:46.829 --> 00:17:50.374
Now, also during an economic summit,

259
00:17:50.374 --> 00:17:54.473
a criminal case was filed against Sergei Petrov,

260
00:17:54.473 --> 00:17:58.042
owner of Rolf, a large car dealership.

261
00:17:58.042 --> 00:18:03.061
I am sure you know him because he is a former politician and was even 

262
00:18:03.061 --> 00:18:06.298
a State Duma deputy, a constructive opposition member.

263
00:18:06.298 --> 00:18:11.711
Can we also talk about injustice in this case, in Sergei Petrov’s case,

264
00:18:11.711 --> 00:18:16.359
considering the precedents from law enforcement agencies? Could you 

265
00:18:16.359 --> 00:18:19.855
also take this case under your control? Thank you.

266
00:18:20.435 --> 00:18:24.416
The situation with Golunov was not injustice;

267
00:18:24.416 --> 00:18:27.897
it was lawlessness. It was plain lawlessness.

268
00:18:27.897 --> 00:18:34.237
And it must be investigated, and appropriate measures should be taken.

269
00:18:34.237 --> 00:18:37.088
As for Mr Petrov, I know nothing about this case;

270
00:18:37.088 --> 00:18:38.376
this is the first time I heard about it.

271
00:18:38.376 --> 00:18:39.431
I have been here, and, as you say,

272
00:18:39.431 --> 00:18:41.549
it happened in Moscow.

273
00:18:41.549 --> 00:18:46.340
This is not the kind of information that is reported to me online.

274
00:18:46.340 --> 00:18:49.301
I am not familiar with him, I know nothing about his business 

275
00:18:49.301 --> 00:18:51.122
and I cannot comment in any way,

276
00:18:51.122 --> 00:18:52.873
whether it is fair or unfair.

277
00:18:52.873 --> 00:18:56.698
Obviously, law enforcement agencies should continue their work 

278
00:18:56.698 --> 00:18:59.715
and thwart any illegal activities.

279
00:18:59.715 --> 00:19:04.028
But I cannot tell you anything about this particular case.

280
00:19:04.028 --> 00:19:07.888
Of course, I cannot take under control all cases like that.

281
00:19:07.888 --> 00:19:11.974
But I promise you that I will request the necessary information.

282
00:19:11.974 --> 00:19:12.807
Go ahead, please.

283
00:19:12.807 --> 00:19:18.354
Mr President, you have given an extensive overview of different topics.

284
00:19:18.354 --> 00:19:20.633
A short time after you last met with Donald Trump,

285
00:19:20.633 --> 00:19:23.838
the Americans introduced new sanctions against Russia.

286
00:19:23.838 --> 00:19:29.935
Could you tell if you received some reassurances from Donald Trump that 

287
00:19:29.935 --> 00:19:31.737
no new sanctions will follow this time,

288
00:19:31.737 --> 00:19:35.429
or do you think sanctions may be imposed again? Or are you confident 

289
00:19:35.429 --> 00:19:37.759
that there will no more sanctions?

290
00:19:38.799 --> 00:19:41.163
I have no idea. This is not our business;

291
00:19:41.163 --> 00:19:44.897
it is up to the United States to think about how they 

292
00:19:44.897 --> 00:19:46.337
should build relations with Russia.

293
00:19:46.337 --> 00:19:52.638
I think we have mutual understanding that we should somehow get out 

294
00:19:52.638 --> 00:19:55.013
of the situation that has emerged so far.

295
00:19:55.013 --> 00:19:59.483
But this is the same as with our colleagues and partners from the UK.

296
00:19:59.483 --> 00:20:02.176
It is an abnormal situation, it must be simply rectified;

297
00:20:02.176 --> 00:20:06.207
we must somehow find the strength to turn the page,

298
00:20:06.207 --> 00:20:08.919
to move on and to look to the future.

299
00:20:08.919 --> 00:20:11.354
It is the same in relations with the United States.

300
00:20:11.354 --> 00:20:16.411
I told you that we reasserted our wish to support the business 

301
00:20:16.411 --> 00:20:21.089
community’s proposal regarding tools for the support 

302
00:20:21.089 --> 00:20:22.573
of business initiatives.

303
00:20:22.573 --> 00:20:28.409
But it shows that the incumbent Administration has intentions 

304
00:20:28.409 --> 00:20:33.583
to somehow continue with this abnormal situation.

305
00:20:33.583 --> 00:20:41.574
I spoke about our trade with the United States and with 

306
00:20:41.574 --> 00:20:46.927
some other partners. Obviously,

307
00:20:46.927 --> 00:20:52.796
$25 billion in trade does not meet our interests and does 

308
00:20:52.796 --> 00:20:55.311
not reflect our potential.

309
00:20:55.311 --> 00:20:59.637
That is why I have no idea if they will do anything or not.

310
00:20:59.637 --> 00:21:03.206
At any rate, one thing is sure –

311
00:21:03.206 --> 00:21:08.785
we are not going to ask for anything. No means no.

312
00:21:08.785 --> 00:21:17.417
And if there is interest, we will respond in kind and will do 

313
00:21:17.417 --> 00:21:21.677
everything we can to turn the situation around.

314
00:21:21.677 --> 00:21:24.881
Let me reiterate, I meet with US businesspeople,

315
00:21:24.881 --> 00:21:29.388
including at the St Petersburg Economic Forum. 550 people went there.

316
00:21:29.388 --> 00:21:32.940
They want to work. That means jobs,

317
00:21:32.940 --> 00:21:39.354
that means goals the President of the United State is trying 

318
00:21:39.354 --> 00:21:44.842
to achieve. I actually said in that interview that after 

319
00:21:44.842 --> 00:21:49.918
the globalisation processes led to such big growth of the world 

320
00:21:49.918 --> 00:21:55.223
economy, even the middle class in the United States felt 

321
00:21:55.223 --> 00:21:57.605
they were left behind.

322
00:21:57.605 --> 00:22:01.736
While large corporation made huge profits,

323
00:22:01.736 --> 00:22:05.699
their management got a lot of advantages as did their partners,

324
00:22:05.699 --> 00:22:08.164
the middle class did not, not very much.

325
00:22:08.164 --> 00:22:11.199
Wages remained the same, and the standard of living began 

326
00:22:11.199 --> 00:22:18.431
to grow a little. Jobs are needed and conditions to raise real incomes 

327
00:22:18.431 --> 00:22:22.619
of US citizens. To achieve that they need to expand cooperation 

328
00:22:22.619 --> 00:22:25.022
and work with everyone, including Russia.

329
00:22:25.022 --> 00:22:28.903
They restricted the operation of their companies in the Russian market.

330
00:22:28.903 --> 00:22:32.440
We made calculations across some European countries,

331
00:22:32.440 --> 00:22:36.947
and it really amounts to lost profits.

332
00:22:36.947 --> 00:22:45.836
Cutting exports (our imports are their exports)

333
00:22:45.836 --> 00:22:50.030
amounts to tens of billions of euros.

334
00:22:50.030 --> 00:22:55.219
That means jobs, either job cuts or jobs that were not created.

335
00:22:55.219 --> 00:22:56.374
The same applies to the United States.

336
00:22:56.374 --> 00:22:58.843
I hope that sanity will prevail in the end.

337
00:23:09.743 --> 00:23:11.566
Just now on the summit sidelines,

338
00:23:17.286 --> 00:23:21.237
Emmanuel Macron replied to my question if he comes to Moscow 

339
00:23:21.237 --> 00:23:24.599
for Victory Day by saying that he definitely will.

340
00:23:24.599 --> 00:23:28.777
Was there a clear indication from Donald Trump if he does? 

341
00:23:28.777 --> 00:23:30.619
Who else did you invite?

342
00:23:30.619 --> 00:23:43.271
We believe the 75th anniversary of Victory over Nazism is the most 

343
00:23:43.271 --> 00:23:52.917
important event in the world if only because by remembering such events 

344
00:23:52.917 --> 00:23:54.938
we must do everything possible so that nothing of the kind happens 

345
00:23:54.938 --> 00:23:58.361
again. And if we consign it to oblivion,

346
00:23:58.361 --> 00:24:03.568
the threat of renewed large-scale conflicts will increase.

347
00:24:03.568 --> 00:24:06.593
The world is explosive even today.

348
00:24:06.593 --> 00:24:10.330
We talk about it a great deal and you yourselves always 

349
00:24:10.330 --> 00:24:12.687
record and confirm it.

350
00:24:12.687 --> 00:24:18.114
But it is not up to us if they come or not.

351
00:24:18.114 --> 00:24:19.704
Our business is to invite them.

352
00:24:19.704 --> 00:24:23.985
We respect our partners, and we always underscore the role 

353
00:24:23.985 --> 00:24:27.090
and significance of our allies during the years of fighting Nazism.

354
00:24:27.090 --> 00:24:31.493
By the way, we think of the German underground anti-Nazi fighters 

355
00:24:31.493 --> 00:24:32.858
in Germany as our allies too.

356
00:24:32.858 --> 00:24:38.679
This is why we will be happy if our invitation is accepted.

357
00:24:38.679 --> 00:24:41.858
If not, it is not critical.

358
00:24:41.858 --> 00:24:46.476
We will celebrate this date in a proper way in any case.

359
00:25:02.456 --> 00:25:04.402
Did you discuss Nord Stream with Mr Trump?

360
00:25:04.402 --> 00:25:06.760
And while you were at the summit here in Japan,

361
00:25:06.760 --> 00:25:09.171
Mr Zelensky addressed you, he recorded an address.

362
00:25:09.171 --> 00:25:11.478
He was very agitated, he did not demand but asked you 

363
00:25:11.478 --> 00:25:13.547
to return the Ukrainian sailors.

364
00:25:13.547 --> 00:25:17.583
He was angry at his foreign minister: he said that Mr Klimkin allegedly 

365
00:25:17.583 --> 00:25:21.302
turned down Russia’s proposal to return the sailors right away.

366
00:25:21.302 --> 00:25:24.112
Is it true that we are ready to do it now if there was such a note from 

367
00:25:24.112 --> 00:25:27.693
the Russian Foreign Ministry? And is it true that we were invited back 

368
00:25:27.693 --> 00:25:30.154
to PACE in exchange for a promise that these people will be released? 

369
00:25:30.154 --> 00:25:32.214
This is also information from Mr Klimkin, so I do not know.

370
00:25:32.214 --> 00:25:37.517
No, PACE and the Ukrainian sailors have nothing to do with that.

371
00:25:37.517 --> 00:25:43.852
What I would like to draw your attention to is that the newly appointed 

372
00:25:43.852 --> 00:25:47.785
Chief of General Staff of the Ukrainian Army confirmed that it was 

373
00:25:47.785 --> 00:25:50.919
a provocation masterminded by Poroshenko to boost his election 

374
00:25:50.919 --> 00:25:54.585
campaign. It is absolutely ridiculous,

375
00:25:54.585 --> 00:25:57.970
it is an outrage. Let us proceed from that.

376
00:25:57.970 --> 00:26:03.765
Given this, the Ukrainian side has in fact acknowledged that it was 

377
00:26:03.765 --> 00:26:05.947
a provocation on their part.

378
00:26:05.947 --> 00:26:09.409
We will resolve this issue quietly and efficiently.

379
00:26:09.409 --> 00:26:14.619
We have questions regarding some people who were arrested in Ukraine,

380
00:26:14.619 --> 00:26:18.114
apart from those sailors.

381
00:26:18.114 --> 00:26:22.607
They were following an order and that was it, we are aware of that,

382
00:26:22.607 --> 00:26:24.708
but they broke the Russian law.

383
00:26:24.708 --> 00:26:28.866
This is why all that must be quietly and efficiently sorted out.

384
00:26:28.866 --> 00:26:30.452
Meanwhile, exchanges go ahead.

385
00:26:30.452 --> 00:26:36.134
Quite recently I was told that the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s 

386
00:26:36.134 --> 00:26:42.243
Republics released four people with Mr Medvedchuk’s mediation.

387
00:26:42.243 --> 00:26:44.813
This is a good example of work,

388
00:26:44.813 --> 00:26:49.428
direct contact with the people who should be engaged in dialogue.

389
00:26:49.428 --> 00:26:53.574
If the current authorities build up the work in this 

390
00:26:53.574 --> 00:26:57.497
direction, we will be able to achieve a lot.

391
00:27:08.657 --> 00:27:11.580
You have already mentioned the recent interview with the Financial 

392
00:27:11.580 --> 00:27:16.453
Times. It has been widely quoted and broadly discussed,

393
00:27:16.453 --> 00:27:19.979
especially regarding your feelings towards liberalism.

394
00:27:19.979 --> 00:27:23.738
There were those who agree with that and those who disagree,

395
00:27:23.738 --> 00:27:28.172
even the famous singer Elton John argued with you,

396
00:27:28.172 --> 00:27:31.151
accusing you of hypocrisy.

397
00:27:31.151 --> 00:27:35.226
The interview was also discussed here, at the summit,

398
00:27:35.226 --> 00:27:36.265
if I am not mistaken.

399
00:27:36.265 --> 00:27:40.401
Mr Tusk, Mr Juncker, and I think Mr Macron even talked to you about it.

400
00:27:40.401 --> 00:27:45.068
As other politicians and leaders expressed their opinions,

401
00:27:45.068 --> 00:27:46.444
did they support you or, on the contrary,

402
00:27:46.444 --> 00:27:50.697
did they argue with you about the liberal idea? Thank you.

403
00:27:50.697 --> 00:27:55.961
Yes, to be honest, it was totally unexpected for me that an interview –

404
00:27:55.961 --> 00:28:00.756
which I saw to be routine, ordinary, something passing,

405
00:28:00.756 --> 00:28:03.704
in which I did not think I said anything new –

406
00:28:03.704 --> 00:28:08.230
should stir such great interest.

407
00:28:08.230 --> 00:28:12.519
Some colleagues – I will not be giving their names now –

408
00:28:12.519 --> 00:28:18.533
indeed discussed the issues raised in the interview.

409
00:28:18.533 --> 00:28:24.710
Some of them supported me on the whole,

410
00:28:24.710 --> 00:28:30.061
others opposed and debated with me. So, yes, it did happen.

411
00:28:30.061 --> 00:28:35.101
So you see the point? If we go back to the G20,

412
00:28:35.101 --> 00:28:38.107
it is an economic forum.

413
00:28:38.107 --> 00:28:47.284
The issues of liberal policy, attitude towards migration 

414
00:28:47.284 --> 00:28:49.049
and so on were raised here.

415
00:28:49.049 --> 00:28:55.131
But regarding the economy, there are debates between the Peoples’ 

416
00:28:55.131 --> 00:29:01.180
Republic of China and the United States on trade issues,

417
00:29:01.180 --> 00:29:05.866
with China being blamed, among other things,

418
00:29:05.866 --> 00:29:09.574
for subsidies to industries.

419
00:29:09.574 --> 00:29:15.361
But if we want to discuss the problem of subsidising industries,

420
00:29:15.361 --> 00:29:19.891
let us talk about agricultural subsidies,

421
00:29:19.891 --> 00:29:24.352
which are very common in the European Union.

422
00:29:24.352 --> 00:29:32.775
If this policy continues, a policy that shuts down the market 

423
00:29:32.775 --> 00:29:36.326
of agricultural products, or, theoretically speaking,

424
00:29:36.326 --> 00:29:39.947
keeps the market closed to goods from developing countries,

425
00:29:39.947 --> 00:29:44.303
then a question prompts itself: how can the economies 

426
00:29:44.303 --> 00:29:45.832
of those countries be developed?

427
00:29:45.832 --> 00:29:49.651
The question is: what is the best way for us to unblock discussions 

428
00:29:49.651 --> 00:29:54.099
within the WTO, and would it not be a better option to direct part 

429
00:29:54.099 --> 00:29:58.890
of the subsidies to supporting agriculture in the developing countries 

430
00:29:58.890 --> 00:30:04.920
so as to provide them with jobs? What do our colleagues want? To open 

431
00:30:04.920 --> 00:30:09.119
the market for the goods that may appear in this case,

432
00:30:09.119 --> 00:30:12.642
or to open the borders for migrants? But something will have to be 

433
00:30:12.642 --> 00:30:14.037
done, either this or that.

434
00:30:14.037 --> 00:30:19.795
This is what I was talking about in the interview, in part.

435
00:30:19.795 --> 00:30:26.601
There are other issues related to that liberal idea.

436
00:30:26.601 --> 00:30:31.188
This idea is multifaceted, and I do not question its attractiveness 

437
00:30:31.188 --> 00:30:36.945
on the whole, but look at the migration I have just mentioned.

438
00:30:36.945 --> 00:30:43.457
You see, how can one imagine that in some European countries parents 

439
00:30:43.457 --> 00:30:50.885
are told that “Girls should not wear skirts to school for safety 

440
00:30:50.885 --> 00:30:53.913
reasons.” What is that? Listen,

441
00:30:53.913 --> 00:31:01.940
people are living in their own country in their own culture.

442
00:31:01.940 --> 00:31:06.651
What is that? How did it get so far? This is what I was talking about.

443
00:31:06.651 --> 00:31:11.459
It has gotten too far, in my view, that this,

444
00:31:11.459 --> 00:31:22.715
liberal idea starts destroying itself.

445
00:31:22.715 --> 00:31:27.272
Millions of people live their own lives whereas those who promote those 

446
00:31:27.272 --> 00:31:32.591
ideas, they seem to be living in their own paradigm.

447
00:31:32.591 --> 00:31:33.397
This is what I was saying.

448
00:31:33.397 --> 00:31:36.420
I don’t see anything special about it that I had not talked 

449
00:31:36.420 --> 00:31:36.974
about earlier.

450
00:31:36.974 --> 00:31:39.494
Or, you brought up the example of Elton John.

451
00:31:39.494 --> 00:31:41.316
I have deep respect for him, he is a genius of a musician.

452
00:31:41.316 --> 00:31:44.911
In reality he comes to Russia, and we all really enjoy listening 

453
00:31:44.911 --> 00:31:48.781
to him. I think he is mistaken.

454
00:31:48.781 --> 00:31:51.402
I did not give a different slant to anything here;

455
00:31:51.402 --> 00:31:55.182
it is true that we really have a very calm attitude towards 

456
00:31:55.182 --> 00:32:01.487
the LGBT community. Truly, it is calm and absolutely unbiased.

457
00:32:01.487 --> 00:32:04.981
We have a law that everybody has been kicking us for –

458
00:32:04.981 --> 00:32:10.037
a law prohibiting homosexual propaganda among minors.

459
00:32:10.037 --> 00:32:13.695
But listen, let a person grow up,

460
00:32:13.695 --> 00:32:17.540
become an adult and then to decide who he or she is.

461
00:32:17.540 --> 00:32:22.633
Leave children in peace. There are so many inventions nowadays.

462
00:32:22.633 --> 00:32:27.077
I also said in that interview that they invented five 

463
00:32:27.077 --> 00:32:30.609
or six genders, transformers, trans…

464
00:32:30.609 --> 00:32:33.605
You see, I do not even understand what it is.

465
00:32:33.605 --> 00:32:40.674
This is not the problem.

466
00:32:40.674 --> 00:32:45.229
The problem is that this part of society is aggressively imposing their 

467
00:32:45.229 --> 00:32:48.114
view on the majority.

468
00:32:48.114 --> 00:32:50.624
We have to be more loyal to each other,

469
00:32:50.624 --> 00:32:56.588
more open and transparent. I did not say anything unusual.

470
00:32:56.588 --> 00:33:00.368
We have to respect everyone, that is true,

471
00:33:00.368 --> 00:33:04.102
but we must not impose our points of view on others.

472
00:33:04.102 --> 00:33:08.373
Meanwhile, representatives of the so-called liberal idea are simply 

473
00:33:08.373 --> 00:33:10.111
forcing their ideas on others.

474
00:33:10.111 --> 00:33:17.303
They dictate the need for the so-called sex education.

475
00:33:17.303 --> 00:33:20.676
Parents are against it, and they are practically imprisoned for that.

476
00:33:20.676 --> 00:33:23.169
This is what I was talking about.

477
00:33:23.169 --> 00:33:26.979
We are aware of what is going on.

478
00:33:26.979 --> 00:33:36.290
The question was related to the way we assess the situation in our 

479
00:33:36.290 --> 00:33:37.499
partners’ countries, I think.

480
00:33:37.499 --> 00:33:42.213
Yes, people are fed up with that,

481
00:33:42.213 --> 00:33:47.493
and this may actually account for the Trump phenomenon,

482
00:33:47.493 --> 00:33:52.822
when he won the election, and people’s discontent underlies it in many 

483
00:33:52.822 --> 00:33:55.349
countries of Western Europe, when they walk out into the streets.

484
00:33:55.349 --> 00:34:01.247
This is the point. Meanwhile, everyone is looking for the reasons 

485
00:34:01.247 --> 00:34:05.340
somewhere far away and trying to blame Russia for what is 

486
00:34:05.340 --> 00:34:08.231
happening there. Do we have anything to do with it? Yes,

487
00:34:08.231 --> 00:34:11.905
there are certain polemics in the information sphere,

488
00:34:11.905 --> 00:34:13.479
and we have expressed our point of view about it.

489
00:34:13.479 --> 00:34:15.887
Don’t they do it themselves? Of course, they do,

490
00:34:15.887 --> 00:34:20.560
all the time. We are not making noise or getting hysterical about their 

491
00:34:20.560 --> 00:34:22.098
constant interference in our affairs,

492
00:34:22.098 --> 00:34:24.575
even though their interference is present on a daily basis.

493
00:34:24.575 --> 00:34:27.542
But this is what has been established,

494
00:34:27.542 --> 00:34:30.625
the practice of international relations,

495
00:34:30.625 --> 00:34:33.524
unfortunately. I wish this did not happen.

496
00:34:33.524 --> 00:34:37.476
But there are deep reasons and they do not want to admit them.

497
00:34:37.476 --> 00:34:39.165
That is what I said about.

498
00:34:39.165 --> 00:34:42.142
I think I said nothing new because I have talked about it 

499
00:34:42.142 --> 00:34:43.939
a number of times before.

500
00:34:43.939 --> 00:34:45.320
Thank you very much.