Russia's economy performs better than many G20 countries: Putin

Russia confidently demonstrates economic performance superior to that of a number of G20 members, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a press conference on Thursday, answering a question from TASS.

"Russia confidently shows indicators much better than those in many countries of the G20. This applies to both the main macroeconomic indicators and the volume of GDP," he said.

Regarding the economy, the president stated that, despite predictions of Russia's collapse, devastation, and economic catastrophe, nothing of the sort has happened. He acknowledged that GDP has fallen slightly. "According to our and international experts, [the decrease at the end of the year will reach] 2.9% of GDP, as I recently told you. They now present a different even lower figure - 2.5% of GDP," Putin said.

At the same time, the head of state noted that the unemployment rate in Russia is below the pre-pandemic level and remains at around 3.8-3.9%. "The labor market is stable, as are the government finances. There are no alarming moments here either. All this is not something falling from the sky, but the result of the work of the government, regional teams, business and the overall mood in society, which shows unity and the desire to work together to achieve common goals," the president said.

Putin said that Russia generally feels confident and "there is no doubt that all our goals will be achieved."