Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:

Vladimir Putin: Mr Zhukov, I have signed a government resolution on state support for leading symphony orchestras and choirs. It deals with six of them in particular: the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra led by Pavel Kogan; the Symphony Orchestra of the Moscow State Philharmonic Society; the Symphony Orchestra of the St Petersburg Shostakovich Philharmonic Society; the Russian National Orchestra; the State Symphonic Choir of Russia; and the St Petersburg State Choir. The total amount is 300 million roubles, and each will receive 50 to 60 million. This is not their only source of government funds, there is also presidential support. How do matters stand this year in terms of our funding for this support?

Alexander Zhukov: Mr Putin, this year we have allocated 4.5 billion roubles in grants for music and theatre groups. Therefore, the above are not the only beneficiaries, of course. In particular, we have grants worth 1,215 million roubles set aside for seven leading music and theatre groups. They include the Bolshoi Theatre, the Mariinsky Theatre, the State Symphony Orchestra, the Tchaikovsky Large Symphony Orchestra, and others. Six grants go to leading organisations in music and choreography, including the Beryozka company and the Moiseyev, Osipov and Alexandrov ensembles.As many as 14 leading musical theatres and chamber music companies get direct aid: a total of 600 million roubles. They include the Yekaterinburg and the Novosibirsk State Opera and Ballet Theatres, the Ballet Theatre led by Boris Eifman, and a number of others. Over one billion roubles in grants are also available for education in the performing arts. These include the Gnesiny School, the Vaganova Academy of Ballet, the Moscow State Academy of Choreography, the Novosibirsk Conservatoire, and the Saratov State Conservatoire: they are virtually spread across the entire country. Leading drama theatres and higher educational establishments receive 12 grants totalling 456 million roubles. They are the Maly Theatre, the Vakhtangov Theatre, the Alexandrinsky Theatre, the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts (GITIS), and the Shchukin School.

For the first time this year, we are extending support to leading Russian theatres for children and teenagers. These are the Sats Moscow Children's Theatre and the Obraztsov State Central Puppet Theatre. Also this year, two more grants will be awarded to two world renowned orchestras: the State Symphony Orchestra of the New Russia under Yuri Bashmet and the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia under Vladimir Spivakov.

The institution of grants, and their sufficiently large number in recent years, has helped many talented and creative companies across Russia, not only in Moscow and St Petersburg, survive.

Vladimir Putin: Please see to it that funds are allocated on time to avoid any interruptions during the year.