MOSCOW, August 3. /TASS/. Russia will not abandon importing goods but basic items should come from domestic producers, President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with chief executives from the manufacturing industry.

"Certainly, imports are also needed. Clearly we cannot and should not abandon such imports in general. But some basic things, those that we ourselves consume, should be oriented toward domestic producers," the President said.

This is exactly why the government has prioritized direct financial support for domestic companies, including automakers, Putin said. "We have done a lot of this. We are talking about direct purchases now but such indirect measures to help Autovaz [carmaker] are indeed timely and necessary, and we should employ them," he stressed.