Another Putin Meeting With Government
This meeting with members of the government reviewed the Eastern Economic Forum’s results, heard an excellent report on the Agro-Industrial Complex, Putin’s suggestion to PM Mishustin that exports of some select resources be restricted, a report on the geological study of subsurface resources, and further reports on the overall state of Russia’s development:
Vladimir Putin: Hello!
Today we will discuss issues related to regional development, discuss how individual regional development programs are implemented, and separately – the state program for the development of the Kaliningrad Region.
But first, as we usually do at such meetings, let's talk about the current situation. First question to Yuri Trutnev about the results of the Eastern Economic Forum.
Yuri Petrovich, please.
Trutnev: Thank you.
Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, Dear colleagues! The ninth Eastern Economic Forum, which was held in Vladivostok under your leadership, has come to an end.
The Forum enjoys a steady interest in the world. If last year the forum had 6,300 participants from 62 countries, this year it was 7,100 people from 75 countries. The countries of the Asia-Pacific region and other regions of the world were represented quite widely. Among the participants were representatives of business and diplomatic corps of 16 unfriendly states. These figures underline the interest of the world around us in our country and in working in the Far East.
At the ninth Eastern Economic Forum, 313 agreements totaling 5 trillion 569 billion rubles were signed – this is the best result in all past years. Last year, we concluded 386 investment agreements totaling $ 3 trillion 800 billion.
Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, Considering that approximately 80 percent of the signed agreements are translated into real investment projects, the Ninth Eastern Economic Forum attracted at least 4 trillion investments to the Far East and the Arctic. It was these agreements that allowed us to make a proposal to increase the planned target for attracting investment until 2030 to 12 trillion rubles.
The largest projects and agreements signed at the forum are the construction of the Vorkuta chemical complex, the development of the Kun-Manye nickel-copper deposit in the Amur Region, the expansion of the capacity of the Berezovsky iron ore deposit in Transbaikalia, the construction of the Soyuz cross-border railway transshipment complex near the Nizhneleninskoye-Tongjiang bridge crossing, and the marine transshipment terminal liquefied petroleum gases in the Khabarovsk Territory.
Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, the most important outcome of the ninth Eastern Economic Forum, as well as all previous ones, is your decisions that create conditions for further rapid development of the macroregion. These include maintaining the two percent mortgage rate for residents of the Far East until 2030, allocating an additional 100 billion rubles to implement master plans for Far Eastern cities, speeding up the development of the Far East energy development program, and ensuring payments of one million rubles to large families in all regions of the Far Eastern Federal District where the birth rate is below the federal, completion of development, production of the Baikal aircraft, and a number of others.
I would like to thank you for your attention to the development of the Russian Far East. Thank you very much.
Vladimir Putin: Good.
Thank you, Yuri Petrovich. I ask you to continue to closely monitor what is happening in these areas, and to support the projects that have just been launched and those that are planned.
Yu.Trutnev: Of course.
Vladimir Putin: Russia, as you know, is a northern country, and as far as the territories and remote territories of the Far North are concerned, we annually carry out a set of measures called "northern delivery". We bring fuel, basic foodstuffs, and other necessary goods there so that people can pass the winter period comfortably.
On April 1, the law "On Northern importation"came into force. Alexey Olegovich, how is the work going?
A. : Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,
Implementation of the provisions of the law "On Northern import" has started in 21 regions of Russia.
First. The list of life-support goods has been defined, it includes about 1.5 thousand items of goods. Such cargo received priority during transportation and processing at ports and railway stations. This has already made it possible to speed up cargo delivery in the 2024 season.
Second. The northern delivery planning procedure has been approved: now the northern delivery plan is drawn up for three years. The planned volume of northern deliveries for the current year is 4 million tons, of which 85 percent is for life-support cargo – fuel and energy resources, food, medicines, and 15 percent-for cargo for state and municipal needs, mainly construction materials.
As of today, 2.9 million tons have actually been imported. In particular, about 130,000 textbooks will be delivered to northern settlements by the beginning of the school year. Implementation of the delivery plan for January – August is 103.5 percent. The annual plan has been completed by 72.5 percent so far. In the period from September to December, another 1.1 million tons of cargo will be delivered, mainly fuel and energy resources and fuel and lubricants.
The third. The reference network of transport and logistics infrastructure of northern delivery is defined. The core network includes 346 facilities needed to ensure regular, uninterrupted supply of northern delivery territories. These include 148 highways, 129 railway stations, 21 seaports, 17 rivers, 15 river ports, and 15 airports. The list will be further expanded. Starting from 2026, the law provides for financing the maintenance of the northern delivery support infrastructure facilities at the expense of the federal budget.
Fourth. Work is underway to create a Single maritime Operator for northern delivery. An agreement was signed between the Ministry of Eastern Development, the Chukotka Autonomous District and Rosatomflot on the implementation of a pilot project for cargo delivery to Chukotka in 2025. Based on the practical experience of the pilot project, the activities of the Unified Marine Operator will be expanded to other regions starting from 2026.
Fifth. Work has begun on the creation of the Federal State Information System for Monitoring Northern Delivery. It will allow you to automate management processes, combine the functions of planning, monitoring the movement of goods and monitoring performance. FSIS "Northern Delivery" is being created on the Gostech platform and will be integrated with 20 information systems of various ministries and departments. The federal coordinator of the northern delivery is the Ministry of Eastern Development of the Russian Federation.
In conclusion, I would like to thank Russian Railways for its prompt cooperation and assistance in prioritizing northern delivery cargo. Every month, we analyze an average of 11,000 applications for inclusion in the transportation plan. We conduct operational monitoring of the delivery of socially significant goods. As a result, in six months the number of containers with risks in terms of delivery time decreased 5.5 times – from 1511 to 272 today. Work on improving the efficiency of northern delivery will continue.
The report is over.
Vladimir Putin: Alexey Olegovich, is there at least some threat that we may not complete something on the northern delivery?
Alexey Chekunkov: Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,
We monitor daily balances of the main types of fuel for each region. As of today, there are no critical risks. Where, let's say, it is lit yellow, we will ensure that everything is delivered by the end of the year. As I have already said, today 103.5 percent is the volume of planned deliveries.
Vladimir Putin: All right. Good. Thank you very much.
In mid-September, it's a good time to see what we have with the harvest, how the harvesting campaign is going and how the work on sowing winter crops is organized.
Oksana Nikolaevna.
O. Lut : Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,
Dear colleagues!
I will briefly report on the current situation in agriculture. As you know, this year is not easy for farmers: in the spring, a number of regions faced recurrent frosts, in the summer-with a drought that continues even now, and during harvesting-with heavy precipitation. Due to weather anomalies, the harvesting campaign is quite intense. The regions of the Volga region and the Urals are lagging behind due to rain, and grain yields have decreased in regions affected by frosts and droughts.
At the moment, in the whole country, grain crops are threshed from 33 million hectares – about 70 percent of the area. The gross harvest today is more than 97 million tons, including 72 million tons of wheat. It is important to note that the quality of our grain is much better than last year.
Despite all the difficulties, thanks to the high technological efficiency of our farmers, we maintain the forecast of grain production by the end of the year at the level of 132 million tons. We expect good results for oilseeds, sugar beet, vegetables and potatoes.
In addition, taking into account the latest data from the regions of the South and North Caucasus, we have updated the forecast for the harvest of fruits and berries and expect that our gardeners will collect about 1.7 million tons of fruit, along with 1.6 million tons of apples. These results are higher than the long-term average values for the last five years.
Separately, to support gardeners in nine regions affected by the May frost, the Ministry of Agriculture submitted to the Government a draft order on the allocation of funds from the reserve fund totaling 930 million rubles.
In general, the harvest of the main agricultural crops this year will fully meet the domestic market and maintain a high export potential for both raw materials and processed products.
I would like to note that this year Russia has increased food supplies to foreign markets in tonnage by eight percent, including due to an increase in exports of cereals and legumes, flour, sugar, sunflower oil, confectionery, meat and dairy products.
Next, about sowing winter crops. In almost all federal districts, farmers have started sowing winter crops, and today they have sown about 5.5 million hectares. In the central regions, winter sowing is complicated by the low amount of moisture in the soil, but according to our plans, we believe that the total area under winter crops will be about 20 million hectares, which corresponds to the level of last year.
We pay close attention to the provision of basic resources for agricultural producers. Currently, about 80 percent of the required volume of seeds has already been prepared for sowing.
Here I note that farmers are increasingly using seeds of domestic selection. This year, the share of Russian breeding achievements in such crops as sunflower, soy and rapeseed has significantly increased. And for sugar beet, whose seeds we used to import almost entirely from unfriendly countries, this year we should reach a little less than eight percent of the market, and we will continue to encourage the industry to switch to domestic breeding.
As for fertilizers, their purchase is proceeding normally according to the plan approved with the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
We continue to work on updating the agricultural machinery fleet. For its purchase, in particular, there is a preferential program of Rosagroleasing. Currently, the company has already delivered more than 13 thousand units – which is almost a quarter more than in the same period last year.
Together with the Russian Ministry of Energy, we continue to monitor the dynamics of prices and the supply of fuel to agricultural producers on a daily basis. Currently, the cost of fuel and lubricants is stable, and the necessary availability is fully ensured.
Next, a few words about the financial support of the agro-industrial complex. This year, 94 billion rubles were allocated directly to farmers in the regions. To date, about 72 percent of this amount has been brought to the recipients.
In addition, one of the most popular instruments among agricultural producers is concessional lending. This year, the Ministry of Agriculture approved the provision of preferential loans for seasonal agricultural work in the amount of 224 billion rubles, which is three percent more than last year.
Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, thank you for instructing me to allocate additional funding for the implementation of this mechanism. During seasonal field work, concessional lending is especially important for farmers.
In conclusion, I would like to note that in general, in 2024, the agro-industrial complex maintains positive dynamics in all major areas. Agricultural production increased by two percent in the first seven months, while food production increased by almost five percent.
Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, Dear colleagues!
Despite the objective difficulties associated with weather conditions, our country's farmers are doing everything necessary to get decent results this year and form a strong base for 2025. For our part, we continue to provide comprehensive support to manufacturers and promptly respond to all acute issues that arise. The country's food security will certainly be ensured.
Thank you. The report is over.
Vladimir Putin: We have a harvest forecast of about 132 million [tons], right?
O. Lut: We are saving 132 million despite all the difficulties that we have now.
Vladimir Putin: Last year it was 148?
O. Loot: A little over 148, yes.
Vladimir Putin: And domestic consumption is 90, right?
O. Lut: 87.
Vladimir Putin: So we still have an export potential of more than 40 million tons, plus the remaining leftovers?
O. Lut: Yes, we have large carry-overs, decent carry-overs, so while at the harvest we can afford to export 60 million tonnes of 132 million tonnes.
Vladimir Putin: Yes, up to 60 million. Clear.
Okay, good. Thank you very much. In general, if it is according to the forecast, the result is good.
Dmitry Nikolaevich, we have discussed the issue of import substitution in agriculture many times. How are things going here?
: Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,
Dear colleagues!
If we talk about the past decade since 2014-since Russia's food embargo-then these years were the most active phase of import substitution in our agriculture.
Government support and healthy protectionism have created clear and favorable working conditions for businesses. As a result, a large number of our manufacturers entered the market, which was abandoned by foreign companies. Over the years, our agricultural production has grown by 33 percent.
I will mention crop production separately. Since 2014, the grain harvest has never been less than 100 million tons per year, and over the past five years it has consistently exceeded 120 million tons.
Separately, I would like to note that now we produce 4.5 times more soybeans and the volume of sunflower seeds has doubled. We have literally rebuilt some areas. One such example is our greenhouse vegetable production, where the indicators have almost tripled in 10 years. More than 140,000 hectares of highly productive orchards have also been laid, which means that we collect almost three times as many fruits and berries as we did in 2014.
A similar situation is observed in animal husbandry. Over 10 years, livestock and poultry production has increased by 35 percent, and milk production has increased by 13 percent. Over the past decade, 3,400 livestock complexes have been built and modernized.
It is important to note that during this time, the production of high-quality beef, which is produced in our organized sector, has gained momentum. In 2023, its volumes have already exceeded the level of 2014 by a third.
Turkey production was built almost from scratch – which is also quite an important area. Growth in 10 years has quadrupled. Here I will note that we are now the first in Europe to produce turkey.
I would like to add that we are working to increase independence in the field of livestock breeding, including creating a database of our own genetic resources in most areas. The jump in the food industry since the introduction of prodembargo has been about 40 percent. The production of vegetable oil increased by 2.5 times and meat products actually doubled.
A striking example that I want to cite is the cheese industry, which has almost doubled its volume. The product range has also expanded significantly. According to experts ' estimates, approximately 9,5 thousand items of domestic cheese products are sold in retail chains alone.
Another area where the situation has literally completely changed in ten years is our winemaking. The area of vineyards has been increased by 63 percent, and thanks to the adoption of the law on winemaking, all our wine is now made from domestic grapes.
Finally, the fishing industry has grown over a million tons over the past decade, and aquaculture has more than doubled its production. And, of course, all this became possible thanks to our farmers, but in many respects it is also ensured by the attentive attitude of the state to the industry.
Financing of the agro-industrial complex has been increased from 200 billion rubles to half a trillion rubles a year over the past ten years. Various measures have been proposed to support businesses, including concessional lending and reimbursement of part of capital expenditures: these include grants, preferential leasing, and separate special subsidies for various sub-sectors. I would like to emphasize here that our financial support tools are available to both large and small companies. And just recently, starting in 2022, these support tools have become available to households.
Vladimir Vladimirovich, the key result is that Russia now produces almost any food products. The agroindustrial complex guarantees our country food self-sufficiency. In addition, the industry has significantly advanced in the field of product quality control, and at the moment digital traceability has been created for a number of products at all stages, in fact, from the field to the end user. For 10 years, the agro-industrial complex has become a high-tech industry, where businesses are currently implementing the most advanced solutions and technologies.
Mr President, I cannot ignore the issue of rural development. According to your instructions, starting from 2020, the work is being carried out under a separate state program. In rural areas, infrastructure is being updated, comfortable and affordable housing is being built. It is important that all these complex transformations are seen by our young people, so they are more willing to choose the agro-industrial complex as an area for further self-realization. This is also, in my opinion, a very important outcome of the decade.
In conclusion, the increase in production has provided Russia with a leading position in the global market in many areas. If you compare, in 2013 we had export revenue of $ 17 billion, and in 2023 we showed export revenue of $ 43.5 billion. At the same time, the geography of our deliveries has grown to 160 countries-this is despite the fact that we have closed some European countries, almost all of Europe completely.
Thus, the path that the industry has taken since 2014 confirms that all the new tasks set by you, Mr Putin, will be fulfilled. At the same time, the goal now is to produce domestic products using our own means of production, our own scientific and technological achievements. This will be implemented as part of a new national project for technological development in food security.
Thank you for your attention.
Vladimir Putin: Good. Thank you very much, Dmitry Nikolaevich.
Russia, in response to the unfriendly actions of a number of countries, imposed restrictions on the import of agricultural products. At the first stage, as we all know and remember, there was, unfortunately, a certain increase in prices for agricultural products on the domestic market, but then this contributed to the development of agriculture in Russia itself. Today we are getting the result that Dmitry Nikolaevich just mentioned.
In part, the same thing is happening in industry. Not the same, but partly the same, because despite the restrictions on the import of industrial products, our business picks up certain areas of work and sometimes acts even more efficiently than our partners, who simply supplied relatively cheap goods to our industrial market. I would like to emphasize once again that this is partly due to the country's GDP growth. This is not the same thing, of course, but nevertheless the analogy and such comparisons are quite appropriate.
Here's what I'd like to say in this regard. Russia is the leader in reserves of a number of strategic raw materials: natural gas accounts for almost 22 percent of the world's reserves, gold accounts for almost 23 percent, and diamonds account for almost 55 percent.
(To M. Mishustin.) Mikhail Vladimirovich, I have a request to you, please take a look at some types of goods that we supply in large quantities to the world market, we are being restricted in the supply of a number of goods-maybe we should also think about certain restrictions? Uranium, titanium, and nickel. You just don't have to do anything to harm yourself.
In some countries, strategic reserves are being created, and some other measures are being taken. But in general, if this does not harm us, then we might think, and I'm not saying that we need to do this tomorrow, but we should also think about certain restrictions on the supply of not only the goods I mentioned, but also some others to the foreign market.
I won't talk about the reasons right now, but I think that our colleagues in the Government are well aware of the importance of Russian raw materials for these items that I mentioned: just what came to mind: uranium, titanium, nickel, but there are others.
Then please report separately and think about it. Ok?
Mikhail : Accepted, Mr Putin. Will do.
Vladimir Putin: Good.
Alexander Alexandrovich, what is the current situation in geology and geological exploration?
A. : Hello, dear Vladimir Vladimirovich!
Dear Mikhail Vladimirovich, Dear colleagues!
Geological study of subsurface resources involves three stages. The first one is regional, search, and evaluation.
Until September 1, the state acted as a monopolist in the first stage of regional geological exploration – this is where promising areas are determined. It has always been our prerogative. Private companies did not want to do it because of the high risks of investing capital. However, the interest of companies appeared, and we met them halfway. And we reported on this to you, Mr Putin, at the Eastern Economic Forum three years ago.
The results are as follows. We have passed the law, and since September 1, private companies have the right to engage in regional exploration of mineral resources. In the 11 days since the law came into force – this recently happened – companies have already shown interest in eight sites for geological exploration: These are squares in Chukotka, Karelia, Buryatia, Arkhangelsk, Kurgan, Sverdlovsk regions, and Khabarovsk Krai. The companies plan to send their first geological shipments next spring.
But, of course, the main burden still remains with the state. We explore the entire array of minerals, including drinking water sources. Last year, for example, we solved the problem of water shortage in the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions.
Currently, 64 parties are working on regional geological exploration in the field, they are conducted by three of our departmental institutions: These are VNIIOkeangeologii, the Institute of Mineralogy, Geochemistry and Crystal Chemistry of Rare Elements, and the All-Russian Geological Research Institute. About 150 other parties of Rosgeology are engaged in prospecting and evaluation studies of subsurface resources in Yakutia, the Murmansk region, a little in the Caucasus and the Urals. And of course, private companies are engaged in the search and evaluation stages, they have their own geological parties. But still, these works are not enough, and not because there is nothing to look for, but because it is necessary to increase funding for geological exploration in order to build up the search potential for the future. This is a slow process, and it takes years, sometimes decades, from discovery to production.
For example, when Yuri Petrovich was talking about the Eastern Economic Forum, he mentioned two fields and two projects: Kun-Manye in the Amur Region – it was discovered in 2004, and only now the investor is starting to develop it; and the Berezovskoye field in Transbaikalia – it was discovered in 1926, that is, more than 100 years have passed.
What can a lack of geological prospecting lead to in the end? First, to reduce the production of basic raw materials. Today, almost all profitable reserves are already under licenses, and I remind you that this obliges all participants to strictly fulfill their license obligations on the part of subsurface users.
Secondly, large and easily discovered deposits are almost exhausted. Geologists are forced to move further and further into the Arctic zone and remote regions of the Far East and Siberia. There is potential there: only 35 percent of the Far Eastern and 45 percent of the Siberian territories are geologically studied.
And, thirdly, given the task of commodity sovereignty, we simply must minimize imports. We currently have 17 such raw materials, which we call scarce. We have enough reserves for ten types, and we need to develop processing technologies and create energy and transport infrastructure to the fields. And for seven types of proven reserves, we have approximately 5-15 years, and we need to increase geological exploration for them: these are uranium, chromium, manganese, titanium, fluorspar, tungsten and aluminum.
Vladimir Vladimirovich, you know that we have prepared a program to multiply exploration in the Far East and Siberia. You yourself spoke about them just last week at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum. We have fully implemented both programs. They include 329 promising areas where we propose to conduct geological exploration, and a third of them are scarce raw materials. For example, there are tungsten ores in Yakutia, uranium in Buryatia, and porphyry copper objects in Magadan and Khabarovsk Krai. Traditional raw materials are also not forgotten: gold, diamonds, coal, copper, iron ores-everything will remain.
Our task is to develop new areas for mining, which will allow us to form 20 mineral resource centers. As a result, more than a thousand new deposits will be put up for auction out of 329 sites. And they can provide up to 70 thousand new jobs (the figures are calculated from similar objects).
According to the calculations of our colleagues from the Ministry of Economic Development, for 1 ruble of public funds invested, ten rubles of private funds will fall, and the same ruble will subsequently give 15 rubles of tax deductions.
We propose to immerse the Far Eastern and Siberian programs in the project "Geology. Rebirth of a Legend". Its first stage started two years ago with the support of Mikhail Vladimirovich Mishustin, and he still supports us very much. And we are ready to start with the second stage of the project from January 1, 2025. But a final decision must be made on the amount of funding within the budget cycle that is currently being formed. And it determines the priority of geological exploration in terms of the range of raw materials that we are ready to offer in these regions.
At the end of my report, I would like to say a few words about the international agenda. Vladimir Vladimirovich, in continuation of what you said: Russia controls 55 percent of the world's diamond reserves, 46 percent of palladium, and 23 percent of gold. The list is long, but most importantly, it has the potential to create commodity alliances that can provide exceptional opportunities for regulating global markets. For example, together with South Africa, we control 80 percent of the world's platinum and palladium production, with China – almost 56 percent of coal and 84 percent of vanadium. Both countries are members of BRICS. In total, we have 13 countries and 13 types of minerals for which we can unite. And this is a great topic for collaboration.
Thanks for attention. I finished my report.
Vladimir Putin: I strongly ask both you and the Government leadership to think about what I have said, and now Alexander Alexandrovich has confirmed some things – slowly, calmly. And then we'll talk.
Okay, thank you very much.
Please, Maxim Reshetnikov. And then-Yakushev Vladimir Vladimirovich.
Please go to the main topic.
Mikhail : Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,
Individual regional development programs are effective from 2020. They were launched on your instructions in regions where the indicators of unemployment, poverty, income of the population, investment per capita significantly lagged behind the national average. At the same time, additional resources were allocated for each region – 5 billion rubles each for five years. The programs end this year.
What do we see now? 15,000 jobs were created – which is 98 percent of the plan, and 111 billion rubles of investment were attracted, which is a third more than originally planned. Indicators of poverty and unemployment in an average of ten regions are declining twice as fast as the national average. To maintain this momentum, you have instructed to extend individual programs until 2030.
Now the projects of new programs have been formed. We did this with the regions, line ministries, deputies and senators. Of course, first of all with the United Russia party. The priority of the programs remains: 98 percent of their funding will go to support the economy. The projects that we plan to support will bring 300 billion rubles of investment to the regions and create 18,000 new jobs. Labor productivity will grow 1.5 times faster than the national average.
What are we focusing on? The first is the removal of infrastructure restrictions, the development of special economic zones, technology parks and industrial parks. For example, in the Pskov Region, industrial buildings for rent to residents, a water intake and an electric substation will be built to expand the existing special economic zone. They are needed to start the production of mineral fertilizers and polymers.
Due to the mechanism of writing off the state debt, it is planned to build a railway line to this site. Khakassia will bring engineering networks and roads to the borders of the created special zone. It will house the production of metallurgy, automotive components and medical products, and the anchor project will be the production of aluminum foil and tape for the construction, pharmaceutical and chemical industries.
The need to create and develop industrial and technological parks was stated by six out of 10 regions. In some regions, it is planned to create the parks themselves, in others-the infrastructure for them.
We see a high demand from businesses for the availability of debt financing. In order for the regions to issue more guarantees, microloans, and soft loans, we propose to recapitalize the small business support infrastructure, as well as regional industrial development funds.
We will focus our resources on industry priorities in the regions. For example, we will support the development of hop growing in Chuvashia on your behalf. This is the main region in the country where hops are grown, which is now almost entirely imported. Therefore, we will finance the laying of new vineyards, the purchase of special machinery and equipment, and ultimately help reduce the industry's dependence on imports.
We will also pay attention to tourism, of course. For Chuvashia and Mari El, this is primarily river tourism, so the regions here took the initiative to build berthing walls and improve coastal areas for further tourism development.
We are developing the Lago-Naki ski resort in Adygea. For this purpose, we continue to build gas, water, and electricity supply networks leading to the site, as well as a road to the resort. And at the expense of an individual program, water, electricity, and gas will be provided at the resort itself. To increase the number of rooms, we will additionally finance the creation of modular hotels in the republics of Altai and Kalmykia. In Tyva and Adygea, we will support investors in creating larger hotels.
Vladimir Vladimirovich, individual program projects are currently being approved by government agencies. Three of them have already been approved by the departments and sent to the Ministry of Finance. In the near future, we will submit draft programs to the Government for approval in October, as you instructed.
Resources for the implementation of programs for 2025-2026 are reserved in the federal budget – 10 billion rubles annually for 10 regions, respectively. The funds will be concentrated in one state program of economic development. On the recommendation of the Accounts Chamber, we have also developed uniform rules for granting subsidies in order to bring them to the regions in a timely manner.
Well, it should be noted that individual programs are not the only tool for supporting such regions. We encourage the regions to make the most of the opportunities offered by new national projects – what is currently being discussed - as well as industry-specific programs and infrastructure mechanisms. Thus, by writing off part of the debt owed to the federal budget, the regions that are among the top ten will receive an additional 57 billion rubles. The funds will be used to support investment and infrastructure development. The regions can also participate in the program of infrastructure budget loans.
Separately, we ask our colleagues from industry departments to take into account the specifics of the regions where individual programs are implemented, when forming new national projects and selecting appropriate investment projects and social facilities, and to allocate additional resources specifically for such regions. Please support this approach.
Vladimir Vladimirovich, a separate question: you have special control over the development of the Kaliningrad Region. Next year, as part of the current state program for regional development, the reconstruction of the embankment in Svetlogorsk and the construction of the second stage of the northern bypass of Kaliningrad will be completed.
On your instructions, the Government has already extended the program until 2030, and more than 90 billion rubles have been allocated for its implementation in the next three years, including an additional 5.7 billion rubles annually, starting from 2026, as you instructed. We will continue to support the residents of the special economic zone, and the main resources are used for this.
At the same time, for the development of tourism, we will finance measures for coastal protection and the creation of a promenade from Svetlogorsk to Pionersky, so that cafes, restaurants, and recreation areas will appear here. We will support the construction of a medical center in Sovetsk, which is needed by both residents and future employees of the battery factory that Rosatom is currently building there. This was one of the elements that supported this project.
The implementation of current projects and the launch of new ones will require personnel. On your instructions, a university campus is already being built in Kaliningrad, but we have already included the construction of a campus for secondary vocational education as a separate item in the state program, and we have also allocated money.
Issues of independent transport supply to the region remain important, including the construction of two ferries and subsidizing air and sea transportation. Here, colleagues from the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Industry are now determining the sources of funding in the budget.
In general, the region is now actively developing project documentation for these new facilities in order to start their implementation immediately from 2026. All issues related to the implementation of the state program are under control in the Government of Tatyana Golikova .
I have everything, thank you for your attention.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you.
Vladimir Vladimirovich, can you add something?
V. Yakushev: Yes, thank you very much.
Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,
Individual regional development programs have proven to be effective, and they have become part of the people's program of the United Russia party, with which the party went to the polls in 2021. And it should be noted that the measures that were provided for in these programs made it possible to create new jobs, increase investment, and thereby create the foundation for the development of regional economies.
For example, agriculture and tourism were supported in the Altai, the production of building materials appeared in Tuva, and issues related to transport infrastructure were "expanded" in Karelia, which also allowed for the development of tourism more actively.
Following your instructions, United Russia has been actively involved in the preparation of new programs. We have collected proposals from the territories, directly from the localities, from people, summarized these proposals, submitted them to the Government, and now we are working on these programs at the Ministry of Economic Development. Our work is quite efficient. I want to thank my colleagues for listening to us. I am sure that we will really introduce balanced measures into these programs.
The main thing now is to provide the programs with funding, so, as Maxim Gennadyevich said, it is planned to provide the necessary funds in the three-year budget. As for the deputies from the United Russia Party, they fully support the financing of these programs. Previously, all these issues were discussed with the Ministry of Finance.
Now, as far as national projects are concerned, as Maxim Gennadievich said. Indeed, these subjects deserve a special approach in the implementation of national projects, which will increase the effectiveness of the programs that we are talking about today. Therefore, United Russia also supports these proposals.
And finally, Mr President. United Russia is the party that today has the most effective network throughout our vast country. We constantly receive feedback from people and are ready to take responsibility for monitoring all the events that will be included in the program, so that people can really see the changes from these events in each specific region of the Russian Federation.
Please support our suggestions.
Vladimir Putin: Good. Thank you very much.
Colleagues, does anyone need to add something to what has already been said? No? Everyone, thank you very much. We will implement what we have agreed on now.
Thank you. [My Emphasis]
What Russia has accomplished over the decade since the Coup, return of Crimea, and the first round of massive sanctions and choice to return the favor, is somewhat astonishing. The vast majority of “professional” Russia Watchers had no clue this sort of concentrated rebound would be possible, and many still don’t believe what’s happened, thus the continuing bad analyses and assessments. And I’m not including Russia’s military complex. IMO, the most striking advance is in food security, which ought to be the #1 policy goal of any nation. Historically, Russia’s always struggled with food security, but today the situation is the polar opposite as there’s very serious talk within the Agro-Industrial Complex that Russia has the potential to solve the global food problem. Such an ability would destroy the Outlaw US Empire’s main lever over poor nations that have relied on its grain exports for too many years.
Putin’s suggestion to possibly limit strategic metal exports was the main point media picked up and highlighted. Forming a metal cartel is another idea. What wasn’t mentioned is the need for a new commodity market outside Chicago, New York and London so price fixing and manipulation can be ended, while pricing can be done in multiple currencies, not just dollars. As for the geological prospects, the one region omitted was the offshore continental shelf, which will eventually be surveyed and will likely provide for 22nd Century needs.
One last observation is United Russia’s depth of involvement as it’s becoming more than just a political party; it’s becoming an integral part of the overall political-economy, not just in the realm of social policy where it’s been very effective. I have further thoughts on what that might mean for its and Russia’s future that I’ll express in a specific article. Overall development is proceeding at an excellent pace in the main target regions. In an earlier meeting, preparations for the heating season were well advanced, and the Arctic deliveries are happening better than planned. It appears Team Putin has Russia’s economy in a great position to further develop its potential.
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