ello (@piers)

#Putin: "Ms Nikishina, we are aware of all the subjective and objective difficulties facing our exporters. Nevertheless, the volume of non-resource non-energy exports increased by 9% in 2025 compared to 2024, thanks to support from the Export Centre, the entire group of the Export Centre. Overall, it reached 1.7 trillion rubles." Nikishina: "Yes, 1.7 trillion rubles." VVP: "**This is a considerable amount. Overall, how do you assess the work?**" VN: "Mr President, it has been said recently at some platforms that we do not need export because it allegedly moves the commodities we need at home to foreign markets, excessively strengthening the ruble. We think this view is fundamentally wrong. "First, no country can be successful on the international stage without maintaining a strong position in the sphere of non-resource export. We can see that a tough competition is unfolding for economic influence and leadership, and non-resource export is an instrument of international cooperation and a means of creating stable partnerships and alliances. "Second, export – both resource and non-resource – amid slowing economic growth is also a means of stabilising the situation and resuming economic growth, because this implies additional markets that bring revenues and tax deductions, prevent lay-offs and help preserve jobs and even create new ones. "Incidentally, our geopolitical opponents, who have been imposing sanctions against Russian exports since 2022, trying to push us from foreign markets as much as possible and hence weaken us economically, are also aware of that. "But we have fundamentally achieved our key goal, which is to quickly shift our focus towards the friendly markets. We have maintained our export volumes and reached a stage of sustainable growth, as you have absolutely correctly noted. Last year, our non-resource exports increased by 11 percent, mechanical engineering exports by 28 percent, and the share of friendly countries in our structure has reached 86 percent. "Our current priority is to attain national development goals which you have set for the Government, that is, to increase exports by two-thirds by 2030 compared to 2023." VVP (looking at the presentation): "**I see that the development of stable partnerships with friendly countries is proceeding apace**." VN: "Yes, we believe we have completed the process of switching to foreign markets. We have restored the pre-sanction export volumes and have started to increase exports by forming stable partnerships and alliances with friendly countries, because our non-resource export constitutes the basis of our partnerships, including technological ones. We are also a reliable supplier of food and commodities that form value chains. We sincerely believe that the trend outlined at the third stage is not only realistic but that we are also perfectly on schedule. "How do we at the Russian Export Centre address the challenge you have set for the Government? "First, we provide targeted financial and non-financial support to specific exporters. We have around 150 support instruments at our disposal, ranging from helping companies find buyers to providing loans and insuring exporter non-payment risks. As you have already noted, last year the exports supported through our instruments reached 1.7 trillion rubles, representing a nine percent increase over the previous year. These exports reached 160 countries, up from 137 the year before. Tax revenues to the budget generated by these exports, together with contributions from the Russian Export Centre group, totalled 750 billion rubles last year. In addition to supporting existing exporters, another systemic task that we see for ourselves is identifying companies with export potential, helping them become exporters, and thereby expanding what we call new exports. "The second area of our work is promoting Russian products on foreign markets. More than half of exporters attribute their success abroad to strong demand for their products. This is precisely the objective of our **“Made in Russia”** programme: a comprehensive set of initiatives aimed at building a strong demand for Russian-made goods. "First, we establish a permanent presence for Russian products on foreign markets by promoting them through wholesale distribution channels, concluding export agreements with distributors, and developing a network of **“Made in Russia”** retail stores offering Russian products. This retail network is most extensively developed in China. "Second, we promote Russian products through e-commerce channels, including with the support of local bloggers. We have launched 50 online stores of Russian products under the **“Made in Russia”** umbrella brand on 21 major international e-commerce platforms." VVP: "**Is this primarily through our own e-commerce platforms?**" VN: "We do use our own online [...]." Kremlin (7.6.26); p (4) http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/80250