Moscow, Russia. The Kremlin on Friday denied reports that President Vladimir Putin had asked leading businessmen to donate money to stabilise Russia’s finances as it continues the war in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the donation offer discussed at the meeting was initiated by a participant, not by Putin.
Reports on closed-door meeting
The reports, citing unnamed sources, were published by independent Russian outlet The Bell and by the Financial Times after Putin held a closed-door meeting with business leaders on Thursday.
“It’s not true that Putin made such a request,” Peskov told reporters.
Peskov cites participant’s donation offer
Peskov said a participant at the meeting had said he wanted to donate a “very large sum of money” to the state.
He said the person had stated that most of the businessmen present had started up in the 1990s and that the start of their business was linked to the state one way or another, so many of them considered it their duty to contribute. Peskov did not name the individual involved.
“This was absolutely his initiative, and not President Putin’s. Although, of course, the head of state welcomed such an initiative,” Peskov said.
He also said it was not true that the money was for the war.
The Bell account and Kerimov pledge
The Bell reported that Putin discussed military funding and said Russia would fight on until it captured the remaining areas of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region not under its control.
The Bell said billionaire Suleiman Kerimov had pledged at the meeting to donate 100 billion roubles ($1.23 billion). Reuters was not immediately able to reach Kerimov for comment.
Budget deficit and oil price spike
Russia is running a budget deficit and facing an economic slowdown as the war in Ukraine, now in its fifth year, drags on. Russia is set to receive a major windfall from a spike in oil prices since the US and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28.
What do you make of the Kremlin’s denial and the reports about potential business donations?
