🔊LIVE NOW: Putin speaks at the congress of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs

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❗️Sanctions are not temporary measures, but a mechanism to put pressure on Russia as competitors will always want to restrain its development, Putin said

More statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the congress of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs:

▪️Anti-Russian sanctions have become a catalyst for positive changes in the economy, including in the financial sector.

▪️Russian business faces serious challenges, but entrepreneurs know how to work under sanctions.

▪️Sanctions against Russia disrupt freedom of investment and world trade.

▪️In total, 28,595 sanctions have been imposed against individuals and legal entities in Russia.

▪️Even if sanctions are eased, another way will be found to put a spoke in the wheel.

▪️Global competition has intensified and a new spiral of economic rivalry is now unfolding in the world.

▪️The sliding Western dominance and the emergence of new growth centers is a long-term trend.

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🗣 Putin on the number of sanctions imposed against Russia

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❗️It is unclear why G7 is 'great,' what great is about it? — Putin on the Group of Seven

"In 2024, the Eurozone's GDP growth was 0.9%. And the Big Seven... why is it big? It's not clear. What's big there? No matter where you look, you can't see anyone on the map. This seven has 1.9% growth. And BRICS has 4.9%. In Russia, it's 4.1% for two years in a row," Putin said.

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❗️Sanctions - mechanism to put pressure on Russia — Putin

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📹 We must treat this with respect and take all the best, but not copy — Putin

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⚡️Putin commented on foreign companies wishing to return to Russia

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German lawmakers to vote on landmark spending bill

The $528 billion (483 billion euros) package is expected to loosen fiscal restrictions and allow investment in defense, infrastructure, and climate.

Last month, Germany’s Chancellor-in-waiting, Friedrich Merz, presented his plan to increase infrastructure and defense spending five times compared to what Scholz originally planned to implement. He also said there would be an amendment to the constitution to exempt defense and security from limits on fiscal spending.

Later, Merz bargained a coalition with the Greens in the Bundestag to secure the two-thirds majority needed to move his package forward.

However, some of the lawmakers as well as analysts argue that the proposed infrastructure budget will be implemented “at the expense of social spending and badly needed investments in infrastructure and research and development."

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❗️Luxeuil-les-Bains airbase on the German border will house Rafale fighter jets with NUCLEAR WARHEADS from 2035, French President Emmanuel Macron has said.

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📹 'We were gathering every drop of water' - Sudzha resident recalls living under Ukrainian occupation

"We drank water from the swamp. Someone asked, 'Aren't you afraid you'll get poisoned?' I said, 'I'm not afraid of anything anymore, I just need fluids'," she said in despair.

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😄 'Don't listen to Peskov, that's his job' - Putin commented on Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov's reports that the conversation with Donald Trump is scheduled to take place before 3 PM GMT.

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Russian currency rallies ahead of Putin-Trump talks

The ruble is trading at 81.8 per US dollar, according to Foreign Exchange data, while the official Central Bank rate stands at 84.3 RUB per USD.

The Russian currency has been steadily gaining ground since the beginning of 2025, with investors expecting sanctions relief. Last November, the US dollar was trading at almost 108 rubles.

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📊 World's top 10 arms exporters in 2024

The international weapons market has reached an all-time high since the Cold War era, with the US as the world's leading arms supplier. Who is Washington’s closest competitor and which military goods are in highest demand?

Explore Sputnik’s infographic.

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⚡️Trump's call with Putin started about an hour ago, still in progress and going well — White House

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🇩🇪🪖 The Bundestag has voted overwhelmingly to amend the German Constitution to increase the national debt, which will allow for a significant increase in defense spending.

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🗣 Macron is manipulating the nuclear weapons issue and using it for aggressive purposes, talking about deploying Rafale jets with nuclear warheads, Russian FM spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Sputnik.

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🇩🇪 A 360-DEGREE TURN: Germany reportedly wants to postulate FM Annalena Baerbock as candidate for the post of UN General Assembly chairwoman

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