LIVE UPDATES: Russian President Vladimir Putin Holds Annual 'Direct Line' Q&A Session

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he has a lot to discuss with the US in areas of arms control and bilateral economic relations. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday during his annual "Direct Line" Q&A session that it is necessary to see how Russian law on fake news works before deciding on whether any further steps are required in this direction.

"I want to emphasise — in order to ensure that everyone understands what we are talking about — that we are talking about the deliberate spreading of false information. That is what this law is about. Let's first look together at enforcement practice, on how it is implemented in life, and then we would be able to draw a conclusion about whether it is enough or there is a need to do something else," Putin said, answering a question on whether he considered that spreading fake news should imply heavier punishment.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that he felt responsible for corruption in the country and vowed to continue to fight against this type of crime.

"I feel responsibility for this outrage … If we deal with a crime, corruption, illicit enrichment at the expense of our citizens, we must always finalise [investigations] and that must be made publicly. We will continue to do that," Putin said during his annual "Direct Line" Q&A session on Thursday.

Western policy toward Russia is unlikely to significantly change even if Moscow abandons its own national interests, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during his annual "Direct Line" Q&A session on Thursday.

"Even if we surrender and forget about our own national interests, will there be any changes? Maybe there will be some external signals, but significantly it will not change," Putin said at the call-in session.

When asked whether Moscow could benefit from possible reconciliation with the West, the Russian president stressed that Russia had no and did not want disagreements with any nation.

"We had no row with anyone. And we have no such desire," Putin said. 

Orcas From 'Whale Prison' in Russian Far East are being released right now #whaleprison #WHALES pic.twitter.com/419QByuYek

— Sputnik Insight (@Sputnik_Insight) 20 июня 2019 г.

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Thursday that he could understand the issue of orcas that are being trapped at 'whale jail' as one of the creatures costs some $100 million. 

"The problem is well-known, and it is understandable why the difficulties arise, as far as I know, the price of orcas alone is about $100 million," Putin said.

When Russian President Vladimir Putin was asked about waste management reform, he received a video call from a 15-year-old blogger, Katya Adushkina, who discussed the pressing issue.

The Russian national projects are aimed at modernising the national economy, which will result in improved living standards for country's citizens, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday during his traditional live Q&A session dubbed Direct Line.

"The final goal of all such projects is to modernise the economy make it high-tech, raise labour productivity and on this basis improve living standards for our citizens, as well as to ensure the security of our state in the long term," Putin said.

Further addressing the state of the country's economy, the Russian leader stressed that it is necessary to change its structure, technologically advance it and introduce artificial intelligence (AI) drones. 

The Q&A session started with economic and social issues. Putin recalled that the Russian economy had faced a number of "external shocks" over past years, not only sanctions but also the adverse situation on the global market for the country’s traditional export products such as oil, metals and chemical products.