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Coronavirus pandemic

Vladimir Putin to restore face-to-face meetings shortly — Kremlin

The Kremlin spokesman believes that a video conference will remain a viable option for various events in the future

© Alexei Nikolsky/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS

MOSCOW, June 11. /TASS/. No specific data was set for Russian President Vladimir Putin to return to face-to-face meetings, but "this is not too far ahead," Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.

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"There is no specific date for the head of state [to return to the in-person format], it all depends on his decision," Peskov told journalists; however, he added that "this is certainly not too far ahead."

Meanwhile, the Kremlin spokesman believes that a video conference will remain a viable option for various events in the future.

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"It is possible that some elements of the current format [video conference] would be used at various levels in the future due to time saving as requiring quicker arrangements. Why not?" the spokesman said.

He explained that the video format is convenient "from the optimization standpoint." He added that such meetings "with attendance of heads of regions could be gathered very quickly without summoning them to Moscow or elsewhere."

"Of course, this format cannot fully replace the usual work mode, and there is, probably, no need for that," the spokesman said, adding that "some elements will likely be used [in the future], due to optimization, perfection of the workflow and time saving."

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