RUSSIA-PUTIN-ECONOMY-FINANCE

Leningrad Region, June 22 (Interfax) – One must stop making gloomy forecasts on the future of the global economy and hopefully the situation there will improve, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

“One should not wait for an apocalypse in the global economy, one should hope that the situation will be better,” the Russian president told reporters after talks with Finnish President Sauli Niinsto.

“If the ruble rate is moving, it means it is alive,” said Putin, responding to a question posed by Interfax. “There is an alarming aspect to it but there is an upside too. The floating rate policy conducted by the Central Bank is restraining inflation and prevents sharp fluctuations,” Putin said.

“Total switch to the floating ruble rate policy will not be possible unless we diversify our economy,” he said.

Russia is prepared “for scenarios, although we are hoping for the better,” he said. “We are improving lending measures, accumulating foreign-currency resources, expanding cooperation with neighbors, which in turn makes the whole global system more reliable,” Putin said.

[UA EUROPE EEU EMRG RU]

20:00:02 EET-2