The conversation focussed on the presidential election and the prospects for joint work. Vladimir Putin told the other presidential candidates, “Although we sometimes have different approaches to the challenges facing the country, we will work towards consensus and compromise and thus arrive at optimal solutions for our people.”

During the meeting Vladimir Putin and Igor Sechin discussed the proposals drafted according to the prime minister’s instructions on monitoring the incomes of the management of large companies with state participation. “We should be guided bythe world’s best practices when a failure to submit returns or provide correct data involves criminal liability,” Putin said.

The participants of the meeting discussed ways of using the 16.5 billion roubles saved by the Ministry of Regional Development. Vladimir Putin suggested spending half of the amount on providing housing to Chernobyl survivors. The remaining amount, according to the prime minister, should go partly towards assisting internally displaced persons and partly towards young scientists.

“We are pursuing a peaceful policy without any exaggeration or loud words, and we would like to see the world resort to force as little as possible when trying to settle complicated and even controversial international conflicts. (…) “Our biggest problem today is the economic and financial divide in society and the fact that a large number of people still live below the poverty line. Still, over the past years we have reduced the number of people living below the poverty line by half. I believe that, all in all, this is not a bad result.”