VLADIVOSTOK, September 7. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin expects a surplus budget in the country this year.

"State finances have stabilized, and I would like to note that this year’s budget will have a surplus of up to 0.5 trillion rubles, around 485 bln [rubles] ($8 bln) despite all dismal projections," he said at a plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) on Wednesday.

There will be no strong decline in the Russian economy as projected, Putin added. "It was forecast that there would be a very strong decline in the economy and in GDP. This will not happen. There will be a decline, but it will be insignificant, somewhere around 2-2.5%," he said.