Speech begins at 0500 EST on Tuesday
[RIA Novosti] Russian President Vladimir Putin will deliver a message to the Federal Assembly on Tuesday, in which he is expected to assess the special military operation, the international situation, and also pay attention to Russia's social and economic issues.
This will be the first message since the beginning of the special operation. The president treats him annually, but last year he was absent, as in 2017.
The Russian leader explained at the end of last year that the dynamics of events is very intense, and the results need to be recorded, so additional analysis and time are required for the speech to be solid and fundamental.
The message will be heard in Gostiny Dvor in Moscow and will traditionally begin at 12.00 Moscow time.
Traditionally, members of the Cabinet of Ministers, deputies and senators, public figures are invited to the event. This year there will be new faces - participants of the special operation.
The presidential message determines the vector of the country's development and, as a rule, becomes the basis of laws and decrees.
MESSAGE EXPECTATIONS: EVERYTHING FOR VICTORY
The parliamentarians believe that the message will be largely devoted to the topic of the special operation, it will become the leitmotif of the speech of the head of state and will determine many other topics, such as social security for the participants in the special operation, equipping the army, and training fighters. Some of the deputies and senators suggest that the head of state will also talk about the fight against terrorists and saboteurs, the modernization of the military-industrial complex and the results of the opposition to Western sanctions, and the appeal itself will also be directed to an external audience.
Nevertheless, Putin is also expected to designate social and economic tasks. Politicians believe that the president during his speech can talk about the standard of living in the country, touch upon issues of demography, incomes of the population, wage increases, and ensuring affordable prices for food and medicine. Parliamentarians are convinced that Putin will not ignore the support of new regions of Russia. The main thing that both houses of parliament expect from the head of state is a speech that will inspire "the country and the army", become the beginning of a "powerful leap forward" and draw an image of the future that will unite people even more.
Trade unions are waiting for the message of the President of the Russian Federation to voice the problematic topics of society, interviewed representatives of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia ( FNPR ) told RIA Novosti, while expressing the opinion that Russia's prospects for a special military operation will be outlined.
“We are part of society, and therefore we are concerned about all the problems that we have and all the solutions that the president proposes. The most special issues, you know, is a special military operation, and therefore we are all now working under a common motto: everything for front, everything for victory," said Mikhail Shmakov, head of the FNPR.
Businesses have expectations. Farmers expect that the removal of restrictions on grain exports, including the abolition of duties, and large-scale procurement interventions in all regions will be announced. Also, agricultural producers are concerned about the issue of electricity tariffs.
The business community also expects to hear in the message of the President of the Russian Federation clear signals about what kind of participation the government expects from business in solving social and economic issues - in return, companies want to get more freedom and support where it is required.
The message can also become a starting point for changes in the tax system, in particular, for the further development of a progressive scale of taxation of personal income tax, entrepreneurs believe. Another of the initiatives being discussed now is related to the use of super profits that big business received in past years: it can be implemented both in the form of a one-time voluntary contribution to the budget, and in the form of an increase in income tax. Experts believe that not everyone will like these proposals - but under the sanctions, business should provide support to the country.
WORLD BACKGROUND
The message will be delivered against the backdrop of high-profile events in the international arena.
The day before, US President Joe Biden arrived in Kiev on a visit , from whom they expected some kind of speech dedicated to Ukraine . In Kiev, he announced a new aid package for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia and then traveled to Poland . Biden plans to meet in Warsaw with representatives of NATO's eastern bloc.
Russia has repeatedly spoken about the intervention of the alliance in the conflict.
Attention is drawn to another visit - the head of the office of the foreign affairs commission of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Wang Yi will visit Moscow. The Kremlin does not rule out that Putin will meet with him.
Wang Yi was in Munich a few days ago , where he met with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken . This was their first meeting since the interception of a Chinese balloon by an American fighter over the Atlantic Ocean . Due to the incident, Blinken has postponed his visit to Beijing indefinitely.
In Washington they say that the balloon was launched for the purpose of espionage, in Beijing they say that we are talking about a lost civilian weather balloon.
Relations between the US and China are also affected by the situation around Taiwan.
After the meeting in Munich, the media drew attention to the fact that US-China relations have deteriorated, and both sides are ready to quarrel over trifles.
It was reported that Chinese leader Xi Jinping plans to speak on February 24, the anniversary of the Russian special operation in Ukraine.