Russian Government Rejects Bloomberg Report About Alleged Pressure on Central Bank

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A Bloomberg article about alleged pressure from the Russian government on the Bank of Russia to lower the key rate is not true, Boris Belyakov, the prime minister's press secretary, detailed on Tuesday.

"The information from Bloomberg's publication about pressure from the government of the Russian Federation on the Bank of Russia to lower the key rate is not true," Belyakov said.

"The cabinet of ministers and the central bank are in constant contact, including on developing measures to support the economy under sanctions and act within their powers and functionality."

He stressed that the publication of such information was always sensitive for businesses and citizens.

"And such stuffing is speculation in order to influence the development of the situation in the economy," Belyakov added.

Bloomberg claimed on February 7 that the Russian government is putting pressure on the central bank to be more optimistic about its economic outlook, also urging the regulator to signal to the market it is ready to ease its monetary policy.

Citing anonymous sources, the outlet reported that, ahead of the central bank's board meeting scheduled for February 10, Russian government officials were expecting a clearer signal from the regulator that the key rate could be lowered in 2023.