NOVO-OGAREVO, April 24. /TASS/. Russia's budget deficit for the first three months of this year amounted to 2.2 trillion rubles ($26.7 bln) due to a 25% increase in spending compared to the same period in 2024, President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting on economic issues.
"In total, for January-March of this year, its (federal budget’s - TASS) deficit amounted to 2.2 trillion rubles," he said.
"Of course, we must keep in mind that our expenses have increased by 25% compared to the same period last year. This was done deliberately. So that participants in economic activities, all our departments, take the necessary actions on time, so that our work proceeds smoothly until the end of the year," he added.
Putin noted that the increase in the budget deficit was first of all due to the expenditure schedule. "We shifted them [expenses] to earlier dates, to the beginning of the year, so that federal and regional authorities can more quickly launch national project activities, pay for contracts, start construction, and allocate funding," Putin said.
"Nevertheless, we must take this factor into account in any case. Our economic policy must take this approach into account," he added.