MOSCOW, December 23. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin underscored that moderate inflation and low unemployment are of prior importance for the development of the country's economy.

"In the economic sphere, we face an important systemic task, namely, the transition to balanced growth with low unemployment and moderate inflation," the head of state said at a meeting on economic issues.

In his opinion, such an approach is "a guarantee, a basic condition for achieving national development goals, for the successful implementation of state programs and national projects."

Earlier this month, the Bank of Russia said that annual inflation in Russia will decline to 4% in 2026 and it will stay at the target further on.

According to the regulator’s estimates as of December 16, annual inflation went up to 9.5%. In October-November, the current seasonally adjusted price growth averaged 11.1% in annualized terms after 11.3% in the previous quarter.