Putin confident of bracing crisis
China Daily | Updated: 2008-12-05 07:48
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin predicted yesterday that Russia would weather the global economic crisis with "minimal losses" and he pledged to maintain rises in social spending and avoid a sudden devaluation.
Facing questions about rising inflation, housing problems and job losses in an annual question-and-answer session with the Russian people, a sombre Putin blamed the United States for "infecting" leading world economies with the crisis.
But he offered an olive branch to the new administration of President-elect Barack Obama. Russia could see "positive signals" that strained relations would improve after Obama took office, he said.
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