NEWSWATCH: “Putin to Push State-of-Nation Speech Closer to March Vote, Officials Say” – Bloomberg/Stepan Kravchenko, Ilya Arkhipov, Evgenia Pismennaya

February 4, 2018 JRL Russia List Budget, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

“The Kremlin has decided to delay … Putin’s annual state-of-the-nation speech to [take place] closer to the March 18 vote [providing] a key platform … to lay out priorities for his next presidential term, according to three officials familiar with the plans. … Putin is expected to discuss proposals for higher spending on popular domestic programs like health and education, while steering clear of painful tax hikes and benefit cuts that are in the works to pay for them. …”