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There will be no live call-in press conference with Putin this year

"But this does not mean that he is giving up this format," presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said

Photo ITAR-TASS

Photo ITAR-TASS

NOVO OGAREVO, October 31 (Itar-Tass) — President Vladimir Putin will hold a “big” press conference before the end of the year, presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday, October 31.

“Such press conference is scheduled for this year,” he said.

Peskov confirmed that “there will be no live call-in press conference with the president this year but this does not mean that he is giving up this format”.

He stressed that such live video conferencing would be organised in warm weather “not when ears and feet get frostbitten”.

Peskov said that the “live call-in press conferences will continue because this format proves increasingly relevant with every passing year”.

Putin has been holding such meetings every year since 2001, answering questions from people in a videoconference broadcast live by federal television channels. Many questions came from people standing in streets or squares in towns and settlements in different parts of Russia.

“Traditional big press conferences for federal, regional, foreign and international mass media were held before but Putin stopped holding them after he became head of government. Now as head of state Putin will resume big press conferences,” Peskov said.

He added that the date and place of the next such big press conference would be announced by the presidential press service in due time.

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