News conference following the G20 Summit.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin answered journalists’ questions on the results of the two-day G20 Summit.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon,

Allow me to skip any statements and monologues. You have seen and heard everything, a great deal.

Let us get straight to questions.

Go ahead, please.

Question:

Mr. President, both experts and ordinary people, some of whom are rampaging near this building now, are known to have different opinions on the usefulness of G20 summits. At this summit, for example, there was more talk about your meeting with Mr. Trump. And yet which of the issues discussed by the G20 is most relevant for Russia? Thank you.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin answers journalists’ questions.

Vladimir Putin:

G20 is primarily an economic forum, even though many political and similar issues emerge. Nevertheless, the main issue is the development of the global economy, and this is what received the greatest attention.

We agreed on determining global economy sustainability principles, and this is vitally important for working along the same standards.

Then we continued with the issue which in fact had been launched in St. Petersburg: money laundering and everything connected with tax havens and tax evasion. It is a crucial matter with practical implications.

Next, no less important and also connected with the economy, a related but very important issue – the fight against terror, tracking money flows to prevent the funding of terrorism.

Finally, a very big and very sensitive issue is climate change. I think in this respect the Federal Republic of Germany chairing the G20 has managed to reach the best compromise in a difficult situation the chairing nation has found itself in, namely due to the US quitting the Paris Climate Agreement. An agreement was reached, a compromise, when all the countries have recorded that the United States pulled out of the agreement but they are ready to continue cooperating in certain areas and with certain countries on addressing climate change challenges. I think this is a positive result in itself, which can be credited to Chancellor Merkel.

There are other issues we looked into. For example, digital economy. Here we proposed adopting common rules in the area of digital economy, defining cyber security and designing a comprehensive system of behavior rules in this sphere.

We said today – the President of the South African Republic spoke very convincingly about it; in fact, this issue was touched upon in practically everyone’s speech and in some way it is reflected in the final documents – that we must be ready for the release of the labor force, we must make joint efforts, we must figure out what should be done with the workers who have lost their jobs, how to arrange retraining, what the deadlines are and what rules should be put in place.

Among other things I drew attention to the fact that trade unions will have to be engaged because they will protect not only the workers but also the self-employed individuals operating in the digital economy, and the number of such jobs is increasing. This is connected in one way or another with women’s rights and education for girls. This is being discussed at many forums but we talked about it today in the context of digital economy.

Overall, this forum is definitely effective, and I believe it will play a role in stabilizing the global economy in general.

Question:

Mr. President, I would like to follow up on my colleague’s topic. Even though there were many political issues at the summit, they keep on surfacing at the G20 summits more and more often, yet you listed economic issues, which remain the priority anyway. Many speakers, ministers from different countries responsible for the economy, said that 2017 could become the year of global economic growth. How feasible is that and will this growth be seen in Russia in view of the current unfavorable trends – sanctions, restrictions and other factors?

News conference following the G20 Summit.

Vladimir Putin:

We have not seen any unfavorable trends so far, or they have almost disappeared at any rate. Certain factors are having a negative impact on economic development, including in the global economy, the economy in the Euro zone and in Russia, those same illegitimate restrictions you have mentioned. We call for lifting any restrictions, for free trade, for working within the World Trade Organization, in line the WTO rules. By the way, one of the topics discussed here was free trade and countering protectionism. This is also one of the crucial areas that should be mentioned.

On the whole, there is some progress. However, the initial optimistic growth forecasts have been downgraded. Nevertheless, there is growth, and it is apparent, including in Russia.

I said recently and repeated it here that Russian economic growth is tangible, the Russian economy, and we can say this with certainty, has recovered from the recession. We have been growing for the third quarter in a row, and soon it will be the fourth quarter in a row. Growth exceeded 3 percent in May: it was 3.1 percent. I think we will have an average of 2 percent in 2017. This is also a significant contribution to the global economic growth.

Let me remind you that we also have low unemployment of 5.2 percent, our reserves are growing, including the reserves of the Central Bank and the Government. The Central Bank reserves have already reached $412 billion. The federal budget revenues grew by 40 percent, and all this is happening against the background of fairly low inflation of 4.4 percent. All this taken together certainly gives us optimism; however, one cannot say with certainty that this is a long-term trend. We must take care to sustain this growth trend. I have every reason to believe that we will manage to do it.

Question:

Mr. President, your meeting with President Trump was literally the focus of everyone's attention at the summit. How do you access the results of this meeting? It is no secret that US President had voiced a rather tough rhetoric in Poland, and there had even been unfriendly statements from US media in the run-up to the summit. Did Mr. Trump ask you directly about Russia's interference in the US [presidential] election? Did you like him personally? Do you think you will get along?

Vladimir Putin:

The US President asked me this question directly, and we discussed it. And this was not a single question, there were many, and he gave much attention to this issue. Russia's stance is well-known and I reiterated it. There is no reason to believe that Russia interfered in the US election process.

But what is important is that we have agreed that there should not be any uncertainty in this sphere, especially in the future. By the way, I mentioned at the latest summit session that this directly concerns cyberspace, web resources and so on.

The US President and I have agreed to establish a working group and make joint efforts to monitor security in the cyberspace, ensure full compliance with international laws in this area, and to prevent interference in countries' internal affairs. Primarily this concerns Russia and the United States. We believe that if we succeed in organizing this work – and I have no doubt that we will – there will be no more speculation over this matter.

As regards personal relations, I believe that they have been established. This is how I see it: Mr. Trump's television image is very different from the real person; he is a very down to earth and direct person, and he has an absolutely adequate attitude towards the person he is talking with; he analyses things pretty fast and answers the questions he is asked or new ones that arise in the course of the discussion. So I think that if we build our relations in the vein of our yesterday's meeting, there are good reasons to believe that we will be able to revive, at least partially, the level of interaction that we need.

Question:

To follow up on of your answer, could you please say if President Trump has accepted your denial of Russia’s involvement, Russia’s interference in the US election?

Vladimir Putin:

I repeat, he asked many question on this matter. I answered all of his questions as far as I could. I think he took note and agreed. But it would be better if you asked him about what he thinks about it.

Question:

One more question about the domestic policy, if I may. Actually, it is unrelated to the G20 but the question is about Russia’s domestic policy. I would like to ask what you think of Alexei Navalny and his activities. And why you do not say his name and surname when you answer questions about him.

Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Vladimir Putin:

I think we can engage in dialogue, especially at the level of the President or the Government, with the people who propose a constructive agenda, even if they voice criticism. But if the point is to attract publicity, this does not encourage dialogue.

Question:

Earlier this morning you had a meeting with the French President and the German Chancellor. I assume you had an in-depth discussion on the situation in Ukraine. Did a new vision emerge, and is there any hope that Donbass will come out of the ordeal gripping it right now? Can the discussion of the issue launched with the US President play its role, or do the interests of Russia and the United States still diverge in Ukraine, or may be even oppose each other in some matters? Which, by the way, can be presumed from the background of the US diplomat who was appointed special envoy.

Vladimir Putin:

The interests of Russia and Ukraine, the interests of the Russian and Ukraine people – and I am fully and profoundly confident of this – coincide. Our interests fully coincide. The only thing that does not coincide is the interests of the current Ukrainian authorities and some of Ukraine's political circles. If we are to be objective, of course, both Ukraine and Russia are interested in cooperating with each other, joining their competitive advantages and developing their economies just because we have inherited much from the Soviet era – I am speaking about cooperation, the unified infrastructure and the energy industry, transport, and so on.

But regrettably, today our Ukrainian colleagues believe this can be neglected. They have only one ”product“ left – Russophobia, and they are selling it successfully. Another thing they are selling is the policy of dividing Russia and Ukraine and pulling the two peoples and two nations apart. Some in the West like this; they believe that Russia and Ukraine must not be allowed to get closer in any areas. That is why the current Ukrainian authorities are making active and successful efforts to sell this ”product.“

But I think this will eventually come to an end. Russia, at any rate, wants for this situation to be over as soon as possible.

As regards the United States' involvement in settling the situation in Ukraine, President Trump and I have talked about this and we agreed – and actually, this has already been done – that a special representative of the administration would be appointed to handle this issue on a permanent basis and to be in constant contact both with Russia and Ukraine, with all the parties interested in settling this conflict.

Question:

Mr. President, I have a question about the Middle East, which is seething at the moment: Syria, Qatar and other countries. You must have had discussions on Syria at the G20 Summit. How do you assess the prospects for the Syrian settlement after those discussions and after the recent meeting in Astana? Has the stance of the new US Administration on this issue changed or become more constructive, especially in view of yesterday’s agreements?

And also about Qatar, if I may. How do you assess the situation? Was it discussed at the G20 Summit?

And one more question, if I may…

Vladimir Putin at the news conference following the G20 Summit.

Vladimir Putin:

I will have to make a full report to you. (Laughter.)

Question:

Well, one does not often get this chance. On the terrorism issue: as far as I know, agreeing on the Statement on Countering Terrorism was a difficult process. If it is not a secret, what were the major contradictions?

Vladimir Putin:

To be honest, I am not aware of the difficulties, you had better ask the Sherpa. In my view, there were no basic objections from anyone. Maybe some of the wording. But, to be honest, I am not aware of that. I know that the text was agreed on. At any rate, at the level of delegation heads, heads of state, there were no problems or tensions. Everyone admits that this is a common threat and everyone states their readiness to fight this threat.

As for Qatar, the problem was not discussed. It is a fairly burning regional issue, and can impact certain processes, by the way, including in the economy, in the energy area and in terms of security in the region, but I did not discuss this issue with anybody during the Summit.

About Syria. Yes, we discussed this issue with almost all of my interlocutors. As for whether the US stance has changed or not – I would say it has become more pragmatic. It does not seem to have changed in general, but there is an understanding now that by combining efforts, we can achieve a lot. Yesterday's deal on the southern de-escalation zone is clearly the result of this change. You know, others may react as they like, but I can tell you, this is one of the breakthroughs we have made in our work with President Trump. This is a real result of cooperation, including with the United States. Jordan has joined in the effort, and so have several other countries in the region. We have held consultations with Israel and will continue them in the near future. Still, this is a very good result, a breakthrough of a kind. Therefore, if we move the same way in other directions, towards other de-escalation areas…

We have discussed this very thoroughly with the President of Turkey today. This does not entirely depend on us, of course, as much has to do with the controversy between the countries in the region. Everyone has their own concerns, everyone has their own preferences, their own interests, I mean legitimate interests, so this is the way we must treat these – as their legitimate interests; we need to look for compromises.

You know, sometimes we find them. In any case, the fact that active military operations have ceased, the fact that we are now discussing de-escalation zones is a huge step forward.

Now we need to agree on the exact boundaries of these zones, and how security will be ensured there. This is a painstaking, even tedious effort, and it is extremely important and responsible work. Based on the recent positive experience, relying on the good will of Iran, Turkey, and of course, the Syrian Government and President al-Assad, we can take further steps.

The most important thing is – we have actually reaffirmed this, also in the documents establishing this zone in the south on the border with Jordan, and the area that borders on the Golan Heights – the most important thing is to ensure Syria’s territorial integrity, eventually, so that these de-escalation zones become the prototype of regions that could cooperate with each other and with the official Damascus. If we manage to do this, we will lay the groundwork, create the prerequisites for resolving the entire Syrian problem by political means.

Question:

We have already talked about interfering in the elections but we have new elections coming up in Germany.

Vladimir Putin:

Here in Germany?

Question:

These days we say “we have elections in Germany” in September. Is Russia planning to interfere in them? Did you notify Angela Merkel about how we are going to do it? Maybe you will give me a hunch as well? (Laughter in the audience.)

Vladimir Putin:

You are asking rather provocative questions. But I told you that we had not interfered in the United States either. Why should we make trouble here as well? We have very good relations with the Federal Republic. It is our largest trade and economic partner in Europe country-wise, one of our leading trade partners in the world. We have large joint projects on the agenda that we support, for example, Nord Stream 2. There are a lot of tales being told about it, arguments and even resistance but it is absolutely evident that it is in the interests of the European economy and in the interests of the German economy, which wants to abandon nuclear power.

Why would we do it? Interfering in domestic political processes is the last thing we would wish to do.

If you look at the press, the German press or the European press in general, the French press, it is they who keep on interfering in our domestic affairs. But we are not concerned about it because we feel confident.

Question:

Thank you very much, Mr. President, for the opportunity to ask you a question on behalf of my television network. We meant to ask you about your meeting with President Trump, but my colleague has already asked the same question. And you said we should ask President Trump about what had happened.

Vladimir Putin:

No, I did not. You should ask him about how he sees it, what he thinks about my answers. As to what happened – nothing happened, we did not interfere.

Remark: Unfortunately, the White House offers practically no information about what is going on.

Vladimir Putin:

We will give them a piece of our minds. (Laughter.)

Remark: Could you just share what President Trump said during your meeting when you told him that Russia had not interfered in the political process?

Vladimir Putin:

He started asking probing questions, he was really interested in some details. I gave him fairly detailed answers as much as I could. I told him about my dialogues with the previous administration, including with President Obama. But I do not feel that I have the right to give details of my conversations, say, with President Obama, it is not an accepted practice at this level. I think it would not be quite appropriate of me to give details of our conversation with President Trump. He asked me and I answered him. He asked probing questions, and I offered explanations. I think he was satisfied with those answers.

Remark: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin:

You are welcome.

Question:

Going back to the issue of boosting economic growth, to the measures that could be taken, the Government has already drafted a plan, and as far as we know, you have read it but for some reason the plan is classified. We know some parts of it from what you said about them.

Vladimir Putin:

Let me explain. As you must know, we have several groups working on this issue: a group headed by Mr. Titov with the involvement of the business community, and a group headed by Mr. Kudrin, who has gathered a large number of respected experts. The Government is also working. But we should make a plan that will be acceptable, optimal for the next steps to be taken in the economy starting in 2018. And we must review all the proposals, assess them and in the end, make the final decision.

It may not be one of the proposals submitted; it may be something based on all three proposals. But work is currently underway, and we do not talk about it in advance.

But the Government has certainly done a great deal in this area, and we will rely largely on the Government’s proposals. We cannot ignore the results of Mr. Kudrin’s work, and Mr. Titov also has some sensible suggestions. This is why we are working at present to decide what the final variant will be out of the proposals for the development of the Russian economy from 2018 onward.

That is all. There are no secrets. What is the point? The point is that it is wrong to announce what has not been adopted yet. We could just send the wrong signals to the economy, and that is it. It all comes down to that.

Question:

I have a question about domestic policy. I have learned that you have been briefed on the [limo] car of the Cortege project, which is to be used at the 2018 presidential inauguration.

Vladimir Putin:

You seem to know this better than me: this is the first time I have heard about it.

Question:

Have you thought of going for a drive in this car at the official event, that is, at the inauguration?

Vladimir Putin:

No, I have not, because the car is not ready yet. You can go for a drive in it yourself, I will see how it goes, and later we can test it out together.

Question:

You have spoken about the meeting with Mr. Erdogan. Could you please elaborate – when you touched upon the issue of the first zone, the northern one, did you discuss the issue of the Kurds and particularly the territory of Afrin, where representatives of the Russian Centre for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides are present? The Turkish media are already preparing the ground for the Turkish army's intervention to this area. Also, did you discuss the future of [Syrian President] Bashar al-Assad with Mr. Trump and Mr. Erdogan? For instance, Mr. Tillerson said yesterday that this person has no future in the Syrian politics. He did not say how and when, but that was what he said.

Vladimir Putin:

Let me answer the second question first. Mr. Tillerson is a well-regarded man, he received the Russian Order of Friendship, and we feel great respect for him and we like him. But he is not a Syrian citizen, and the future of Syria and President al-Assad as a political figure has to be determined by the Syrian people.

As regards the Kurdish issue, this is a very big and complicated problem. We keep in contact with many Kurdish groups and make no secret of this. But with regard to military support of their activities, here our US colleagues are far ahead of the game; they are making much greater efforts in this regard.

Our servicemen – not advisers – who are monitoring the ceasefire are indeed present in many regions of Syria, where the truce agreement has been reached. But speaking of the regions you have mentioned, there are one or two of them there, they are not military units. They are performing the task that everyone is interested in fulfilling. But so far, we are not witnessing any preparations for military action; quite the opposite, we expect that our preliminary developments on establishing the de-escalation zones in several regions – in the Idlib area, in the north – will be accomplished. And this cannot be done without Turkey's support.

Question:

My colleagues here have already recalled the words President Trump said in Warsaw. He made yet another statement about the United States being ready to begin direct supplies of liquefied natural gas to Poland and Central Europe. What do you think of these plans, especially in the context of our plans for the Nord Stream? What if gas becomes a new cause of tension in US-Russian relations?

Vladimir Putin:

I view these plans highly positively because healthy competition is good for everyone. We support an open market and healthy competition.

The US President said yesterday during the discussion that the United States stands for open, fair competition. And, by the way, when I spoke, I supported his point. So, we are absolutely all right with this; if it is so, if there is open and fair competition, no political motives or political resources involved, it would be quite acceptable for us. Because to date, it is an obvious fact that any specialist would tell you: the cost of production and delivery of liquefied natural gas from the United States is much higher than our LNG – even LNG – and is not even comparable to Russian pipeline gas. So, there is no doubt that we have an absolute competitive advantage. But to keep it, our market participants must work hard. They need to retain these competitive advantages.

Let us wrap this up. Go ahead, please.

Question:

After the first meeting with President Trump, do you think it would be possible to gradually pull Russian-US relations out of deep crisis they are in, or is it difficult to say anything at all yet?

Vladimir Putin:

I very much hope so, and it seems to me that we have built certain prerequisites for this.

Thank you very much. All the best.

Meeting with President of France Emmanuel Macron.

Vladimir Putin met with President of France Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg.

Vladimir Putin met with President of France Emmanuel Macron.

President of France Emmanuel Macron (retranslated):

I am sorry to have kept you waiting, we had to agree on the latest provisions concerning climate change.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

I hope climate will be better now. You have had a discussion and everything will be all right. Although the causes of climate change are still unknown, let us be honest about it.

But you know our stance, since we are talking about it. We keep to the Paris Agreements. We have adopted all the decisions on these issues, and are set to implement them.

Russian President Vladimir Putin.

As to the bilateral relations, I would like to note that after our Versailles meeting everything we agreed on is being implemented. We met with your Foreign Minister. The day before yesterday another set of consultations was held in Paris.

Despite the current problems, our economic ties are intensifying and trade is growing: it gained almost 24 percent in the first quarter.

We expect active work from the Council on Economic, Financial, Industrial and Trade Issues. Following your proposal, we started work on preparing and establishing the Public Forum. So, generally speaking, we are moving forward in all the areas we spoke about at our meeting in Versailles.

Emmanuel Macron:

Thank you very much, Mr. President.

First of all, thank you for the commitments you took on within the climate change frameworks. This is very important.

If we do not make commitments, nothing will happen spontaneously on its own. I think all of this is compatible with innovation and economic growth, and ultimately, at the G20 table, everything will acquire greater coherence and logic. We spoke about it today with you and with Chancellor Merkel. I think we will have another opportunity to talk it over now, during our bilateral meeting.

President of France Emmanuel Macron.

We have discussed some bilateral issues and also some regional issues. I am pleased to note the quality and intensity of our exchange.

I would also like to note the major progress made in all the areas, both regarding civil society and the Trianon Dialogue, and I am very pleased about that.

I hope that now we will move forward to a new stage, that is to practical implementation of what has been planned.

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Meeting with President of France Emmanuel Macron.

Russian President at the meeting with President of France Emmanuel Macron.

Putin met with President of the European Commission

Vladimir Putin met with President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg.

Russian President Vladimir Putin.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr. President, colleagues,

I we are happy to have a chance to meet with you on the G20 sidelines.

We have stayed in contact despite all the current problems. Recently we had useful talks at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, and we appreciate your decision to come to St. Petersburg back then, in June 2016.

In April, Ms. Mogherini visited Moscow. Her next meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister is scheduled to take place on July 11 in Brussels. We hope to continue and enhance our contacts with the European Commission.

As you know, there is another area of interest: cooperation between the European Commission and the Eurasian Economic Union. We could move forward faster here and look for possibilities to expand contacts, which are possible in many areas.

At any rate, we are very happy to have this opportunity to meet with you and discuss all these issues.

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin met with President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker.

President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker (retranslated):

Thank you, Mr. President,

On our part, we, the European Commission, also want dialogue. We have known each other for a long time, and we are perfectly aware what we are striving to achieve.

President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker.

The problems between the Russian Federation and the European Union are well known: Crimea and eastern Ukraine. However, the European Commission wants to continue efforts so as to find opportunities for cooperation and possible points of overlapping interests.

We have already identified such opportunities in June last year during our meeting in St Petersburg, and think we should continue in the same spirit.

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Vladimir Putin at a meeting with President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker.

Meeting with President of Turkey Recep Erdogan.

Vladimir Putin met with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the G20 Summit.

Vladimir Putin met with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The two leaders discussed issues pertaining to bilateral cooperation, the problems of Syrian settlement, and compared notes on the Turk Stream and Akkuyu NPP projects.

* * *

President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr. President, colleagues,

I am very happy to see you. We have been keeping in contact on a regular basis. A great deal has been achieved recently, both towards a full-scale development of bilateral relations and to address a number of problems that concern us.

Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mr. President, it is largely owing to your stand that the situation in Syria has changed Ignore for the better. The terrorist groups have suffered a major blow, and the settlement has seen major progress.

We highly appreciate you position and the position of your colleagues, our negotiation partners.

I am very glad to have this opportunity to address the whole range of issues here, on the G20 sidelines.

President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan (retranslated):

Thank you very much.

First of all, I have to say that we are having a very unusual summit. Today we are nearing the end of the G20 Summit.

I am confident that our joint efforts with Russia with regard to the developments that have occurred are a clear example for the region’s nations and for the entire global community. Expectations are naturally running high.

President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

We are making a considerable contribution to the development of bilateral relations as well, and this makes the relationship between our peoples ever stronger. I am sure that the progress we have already achieved in the economy and in the defense industry will strengthen our bilateral relations even further.

At the same time, expectations in the region, especially regarding the Syria issues, are indeed very high. From that perspective, I think our meeting today is very significant.

I would like to thank you personally and on behalf of the Turkish people for the part you have had in settling those issues.

Vladimir Putin:

Thank you.

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Vladimir Putin at a meeting with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Russian President and Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Vladimir Putin before a meeting with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Working breakfast with Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron.

Vladimir Putin began the second day of the G20 Summit with a working breakfast with Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and President of France Emmanuel Macron.

Vladimir Putin had a working breakfast with Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and President of France Emmanuel Macron.

The leaders discussed the situation in Ukraine and ways to settle the crisis.

Taking part in the meeting from the Russian side were:

• Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov
• Deputy Chief of the Presidential Executive Office, Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov.

PHOTO:

Vladimir Putin with Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and President of France Emmanuel Macron before a working breakfast.

Putin met with Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe.

Vladimir Putin met with Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg.

Vladimir Putin at a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Shinzo, first of all I would like to apologize that we kept you waiting – I had a very long conversation with the President of the United States. Many issues have piled up: Ukraine, Syria, other problems, some bilateral issues, and once again the fight against terrorism and security measures. So, speaking also on his behalf – you have our apologies.

I am very happy to see you. We will have another meeting in Vladivostok in the near future. I am very glad we have such an intensive dialogue. This will certainly promote the development of our bilateral relations and, I am hoping, will allows us to resolve our protracted problems.

In line with our agreement, quite recently a business delegation from Japan visited the Kuril Islands. We will follow the path set by our agreements.

I am glad to have this opportunity to meet again on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

Meeting with Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe.

Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe (retranslated): Indeed, although I was looking forward to today’s meeting, I have said more than once that a meeting of the leaders of Russia and the United States is essential for settling global issues related to Ukraine, Syria, and North Korea, to name a few.

I welcome the top-level meeting between Russia and America and I am glad you had a fruitful dialogue at the meeting.

Our bilateral relations have been steadily developing in different areas since our meeting in the city of Nagato last December. I would like to use today’s meeting to give them additional impetus.

It is necessary to deepen trust between our two countries in order to sign a peace treaty. In this context, we are prepared to develop cooperation, that is, productive joint activities on the islands, greater freedom for former residents of the islands to visit graves of relatives. We want to promote trust between our two countries.

I believe the recent visit of our business delegation for joint economic activities on the islands was an important event.

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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Vladimir Putin with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Putin had a meeting with US President Donald Trump.

A meeting between Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump took place on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

President of the United States of America Donald Trump:

Thank you very much. We appreciate it.

President Putin and I have been discussing various things, and I think it’s going very well. We’ve had some very, very good talks. We’re going to have a talk now, and obviously that will continue. But we look forward to a lot of very positive things happening for Russia, for the United States, and for everybody concerned. And it’s an honor to be with you. Thank you.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr. President,

We have talked on the phone about vital bilateral and international issues several times but, of course, telephone conversations are not enough.

If we want to find positive solutions to bilateral issues and the most important and urgent international problems, such meetings in person are essential.


I am very happy to meet you, Mr. President. I hope, as you have said, that our meeting will produce positive results.

PHOTO:

Presidents Putin and Trump, G20, Hamburg.

Meeting with US President Donald Trump.

Vladimir Putin at a meeting with US President Donald Trump.

Vladimir Putin with US President Donald Trump.

Russian President and President Donald Trump.

Vladimir Putin and Donald J. Trump.

Russian President Vladimir Putin.

US President Donald Trump.

Meeting with President of South Korea Moon Jae-in.

Vladimir Putin met with President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg. The two presidents discussed various issues of bilateral cooperation.

Vladimir Putin with President of South Korea Moon Jae-in.

On the Russian side the meeting was attended by:

• Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov,
• Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov,
• Minister of Economic Development Maxim Oreshkin,
• Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin.

* * *

President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr. President, colleagues,

I am very pleased to meet you and continue our dialogue that we have already started by phone.

Naturally, we paid attention to the statement you made immediately after you were elected President, notably, on readiness to conduct dialogue with all interested countries, including Russia and other northern neighbors.

Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Republic of Korea ranks fourth in trade with Russia in the Asia-Pacific region. We had a small decline but we are witnessing decent growth in the first quarter – 36 percent.

North Korea’s nuclear program is certainly a very urgent issue. The main point here is not to lose self-control. It is necessary to act pragmatically and carefully.

I am glad to have this opportunity to discuss all these issues with you.

Russian President Vladimir Putin with President of South Korea Moon Jae-in.

President of South Korea Moon Jae-in (retranslated):

Thank you very much for your kind words. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your call following my election as President. And thank you for receiving my Special Envoy Song Young-gil.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you for your invitation to Vladivostok next September to take part in the third Eastern Economic Forum.

I would also like to invite you to visit us in Korea. Please come to our country as soon as possible. For us this is a very good opportunity to discuss all issues between our countries.

President of South Korea Moon Jae-in.

I am very interested in cooperation on developing the Far Eastern Region of the Russian Federation and the Northern Sea Route.

And, as you observed, the North Korean provocation, this missile provocation is a threat not only to the Korean Peninsula but also to the entire region of Northeast Asia.

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G20 Summit in Hamburg.

The G20 Summit started in Hamburg.

G20 Summit participants.

The G20 leaders held an informal meeting on counter-terrorism efforts.

In addition, Vladimir Putin will take part in two working meetings devoted, in particular, to global economic growth, trade, climate change and energy.

The President of Russia is also expected to hold a number of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit.

PHOTO:

Informal meeting of the G20 Leaders. Angela Merkel. Donald J. Trump.

Informal meeting of the G20 Leaders.

Vladimir Putin with Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel before the start of the G20 summit.

Vladimir Putin with President of South African Republic Jacob Zuma (left) and President of Mexico Enrique Pena Nieto.

Vladimir Putin with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov before the start of the G20 summit.

Putin.BLOG: BRICS Leaders Meeting

Informal meeting of BRICS heads of state and government.

Before the start of the G20 Summit in Hamburg, an informal meeting took place between the heads of state and government of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).
Following the meeting, the BRICS leaders issued a joint press communique.

Press Communique of the BRICS Leaders Informal Meeting on the Margins of the G20 Hamburg Summit.

We, the BRICS Leaders, met on the margins of the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany on 7 July 2017.

We recognize that global economic growth is gathering pace, though the downside risks persist. BRICS countries and other Emerging Markets and Developing Countries (EMDCs) continue to be the main engine of global growth. Facing uncertainties in the world economy, major economies should enhance macroeconomic policy coordination and avoid negative spillovers to emerging market economies.


We affirm our support to the G20 German Presidency for a successful hosting of the Hamburg G20 Summit. We resolve to use all policy tools – fiscal, monetary and structural – to enhance resilience and potentials of emerging markets, and foster strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth.

We stress the importance of upholding a more inclusive, balanced, and open world economy, creating an enabling environment for the development of EMDCs, encouraging human resource development and increasing people-to-people links, so that the benefits of globalization can be shared equally by all countries and peoples.

BRICS Leaders’ Meeting.

We firmly support a rules-based, transparent, non-discriminatory, open and inclusive multilateral trading system, implementation and enforcement of existing WTO rules and commitments and oppose protectionism. We will strive to improve the current framework and functioning of the multilateral trading system. We call for the acceleration of the implementation of the Bali and Nairobi MCM outcomes and for the WTO Ministerial Conference to be held this year in Argentina to produce positive outcomes.

In order to support global economic growth and make our financial systems more resilient to any potential systemic crises, we are committed to making global financial architecture more effective and reflective of the current global economic landscape. In this regard, we stress the importance of increasing the voice and representation of EMDCs in global economic and financial institutions, and of the completion of the new round of reforms of the IMF and the World Bank as scheduled. We welcome the contribution of the New Development Bank and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement to international financial stability and sustainable development.

Russian President Vladimir Putin.

We commit ourselves and call upon the international community to make further efforts in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and attaining its Goals in a timely manner with an equal and balanced emphasis on its economic, social and environmental dimensions. Education and research are important in reaching the SDGs. We believe education improves global economic environment and promotes innovation and adoption of technologies, accelerates job creation and moves economies towards more diversified and value adding industries.

We urge developed countries to honor their Official Development Assistance commitments and help developing countries improve their development capabilities and achieve the SDGs by 2030.

We recognize the importance of research and technology collaboration in stimulating world economic growth and encourage the contributions of research initiatives to the development of economic sector. Promotion of innovation is important for sustainable growth and provides a strong and sustainable contribution to the world economy. We emphasize the importance of implementing the G20 commitments in this regard.


We call upon the international community to jointly work towards implementation of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change according to the principles of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), including the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in the light of different national circumstances, and to fulfill commitments to provide financial and technical support to developing countries in meeting their climate challenges.

We commit to take stock of our cooperation experiences and to build upon existing agreements, including the Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnership, and look forward to further enhancing BRICS strategic partnership in all priority areas of cooperation.

We express appreciation and voice full support for China’s BRICS Chairmanship. We look forward to a successful hosting of 9th BRICS Summit in Xiamen under the theme of ”Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future“.

PHOTO:

President of Brazil Michel Temer at the informal meeting of BRICS heads of state and government.

President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping at the informal meeting of BRICS heads of state and government.

President of South Africa Jacob Zuma at the informal meeting of BRICS heads of state and government.

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi at the informal meeting of BRICS heads of state and government.

Vladimir Putin at the informal meeting of BRICS heads of state and government.