MOSCOW, January 27 (Sputnik) — Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday signed a directive approving key provisions of the revised governmental anti-crisis plan, his press secretary said.
"Dmitry Medvedev will hold a video conference on Wednesday with regional governors to discuss the regional aspect of the plan's implementation," Timakova said.
According to Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, the plan forecasts a non-deficit budget by 2017 if oil prices remain above $70 a barrel.
On January 21, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said the Russian government needed some $21 billion for anti-crisis measures, with part of the funds to be taken from the Russian National Wealth Fund.
Since the Russian budget is highly dependent on energy exports and oil prices have recently experienced a dramatic drop, the country is currently facing an economic downturn.