ULAN-UDE, March 14. /TASS/. The national GDP declined by just 2.1% in 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during the visit to the Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant on Tuesday.

"Predictions were made for us that our GDP would plunge by 20% and more. Nothing like that occurred," the head of state said. GDP essentially means "what the country is producing over the year, if we consider year-on-year measurements," Putin noted.

"We have the decline but by 2.1% and not by 20%, as some persons predicted," the Russian leader said. "We have the upward trend. Production is growing over the seven recent months and the national GDP is on the rise for seven months in succession," Putin added.