Moscow, June 21 (RIA Novosti) - President Vladimir Putin acknowledged today that the current high oil prices were creating difficulties for the Russian economy, but said Russia could not influence the oil market.
When speaking at a news conference after talks with the Mexican president, Putin said: "High oil prices and the substantial influx of petrodollars have caused certain difficulties for the Central Bank and the government from the standpoint of keeping inflation within the projected parameters."
According to him, this process could lead to the ruble making excessive gains, which will not help Russian exporters or manufacturers.
However, the president said prices, including oil prices, depended on supply and demand, i.e., the market, which Russia could not influence substantially.
The Russian leader said he and the Mexican president had not discussed efforts to eradicate poverty. "But I am very happy that the Mexican president has recently managed to reduce the number of poor people in the country by a third," said Putin. He added that the rate was approximately the same in Russia, and said he hoped the trend would continue.
When asked whether high oil prices helped solve the problem of poverty, he said they did in a way, as they replenished the budget.
