MOSCOW, December 19. /TASS/. Western sanctions have affected price growth in Russia, but they did not play a primary role, as there are also flaws in the efforts of the country's authorities on this matter, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a Q&A session along with his annual press conference with journalists.
"Of course, to some extent, those external restrictions, sanctions, and so on also have an impact. They are not of major importance, but still, one way or another, they affect [the price growth], because they raise logistical expenses," the head of state noted.
"But there are also subjective [factors], and there are also shortcomings on our part," he admitted.
"We had to make these timely decisions. This is an unpleasant and bad thing, in fact — the rise in prices — but I hope that, in general, while maintaining macroeconomic indicators, we will cope with this too. Because macroeconomics is the bedrock for the health of the economy as a whole," Putin said.