"Оne of the most sensitive issues for our people, for the citizens of our country, is the issue of medication supplies. At every meeting, including the meeting in Toliatti yesterday, people ask about medications. I know that your Ministry has prepared certain proposals regarding the measures that should be taken to improve the situation with medication supply, especially considering that imported medications have become more expensive."

Addressing the meeting, Mr Zubkov noted that “in the crisis conditions Government demand is a key factor in stabilising the economy”. He said that the “Government is taking measures to stimulate the supply of domestic products to fill the state order”.

“We have quite a few joint ventures, but they all operate in your country’s tourism and services. “We should consider ways of diversifying our relations.”

Addressing the meeting Mr Zubkov said that the Russian Government could earmark 72 billion roubles this year for the construction and refurbishment of livestock and dairy farms.

"Today we must review everything that has been done recently. We must see what works and what does not work as we would like it to in order to be able early next week to propose for one of the sector's enterprises, AvtoVAZ, a balanced package of effective measures to support concrete enterprises and the sector as a whole."

Russia will become a major supplier of energy to China within 15 years, the Deputy Prime Minister believes. On the other hand, the Governments of Russia and China in their planning “emphasise the supplies of machines and timber processing”.

Mr Shuvalov confirmed at the meeting that the budget expenditures in 2009 had been increased by 660 billion roubles ($21.5 billion) to ensure implementation of the anti-crisis plans.

“Honouring its social commitments to citizens is a priority for the Government. The question is how to guarantee their implicit implementation."

The two men discussed the anti-crisis programme submitted to the State Duma.

Mr Putin and Mr Zhirinovsky discussed the Government’s programme of anti-crisis measures.