16 Apr 2015 13:08

Putin: Russian economic recovery to take up to 2 yrs

MOSCOW. April 16 (Interfax) - Russia's economic recovery may take less than two years, President Vladimir Putin said.

"Maybe faster," Putin said at his annual Q&A session on Thursday when asked whether the Russian economy would return to growth in two years.

"What we are seeing now - both with the strengthening of the ruble, with the growth of the markets, and some other positions - I think that maybe this will happen more rapidly. Somewhere around about two years," he said.

"This year we are forecasting some fall in production, including all factors, but at the start of this year, we proceeded from the fact that the fall in production would be substantial. This has not happened," Putin said.