MOSCOW, June 1 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's finance minister said Thursday that the 2006 budget's targets would be met if oil prices remained at $65 per barrel.
"If the price leaps to $80, as experts forecast, we will have higher rates of inflation and ruble appreciation," Alexei Kudrin said.
He said there was still a high risk that oil prices would rise given that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries was raising concerns over the United States' tough line on oil-rich Iran in connection with its controversial nuclear programs.
