Putin not scared of questions: Russia

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsk: Russian President Vladimir Putin is afraid no questions, Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said, commenting on the president’s recent end-of-the-year news conference.

“No, absolutely no,” he said in an interview, when asked whether there are any questions Putin is afraid of.

“Well, when he gave the floor to a Ukrainian journalists, it was evident that the journalists would not ask him about the achievements of the Russian economy,” Peskov said, adding that the president was aware that a Novaya Gazeta journalist “would not rejoice at how many problems the government has managed to resolve in the recent years.”

“But it was the president to give them the floor,” the Kremlin spokesman stressed. “It shows that he is open for any serious matter and is ready to answer serious questions, isn’t it?”

Peskov also lauded Putin’s prolific memory. “He can memorize a lot after looking through a text a couple of times. He has a very strong and long memory,” he noted.

According to the Kremlin spokesman, Putin’s next question-and-answer session will take place before the May holidays.

Putin’s traditional end-of-the-year news conference took place in Moscow on December 20.