Putin hopes Mutko does job as deputy PM properly
MOSCOW. June 7 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said he hopes Deputy Prime Minister for Construction Vitaly Mutko will do his job properly, as he did quite a lot in his capacity as sports minister, despite his bad English.
During his Q&A session on Thursday, Putin was asked about Mutko's appointment as deputy prime minister for construction. Journalists also mentioned a viral joke about sailors keeping Mutko's picture on their ships to make them unsinkable.
"Our ships are unsinkable or hardly sinkable as they are," Putin said.
Speaking about Mutko's career, he said, "It's true there have been a lot of speculation and rumors about him. I am perfectly aware of this."
"At the same time, I'd like to point out to you that while his English definitely needs perfection, over the years of his work as sports minister and then deputy prime minister, quite a lot was done in this field," Putin said, mentioning the number of sports facilities built over that period.
"It's necessary to address not emotional aspects, but factual aspects of his activity," he said, adding that he himself was guided "not by emotional judgments but by realities."
"Certainly, Vitaly Leontyevich [Mutko] has a lot to do to display his best qualities in his new job. I hope it will be so," he said.
It was reported earlier that Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko would be in charge of the implementation of a national project concerning the housing industry and urban development, which also includes construction, utility services, housing policy, and regional development.
Mutko is also responsible for cooperation with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, ethnic policy, and interethnic relations as a whole.