MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the government on Thursday to pay particular attention to food prices which saw a 2.2-percent growth at the beginning of the year.
"In the beginning of this year, the growth in food prices stood at around 2.2 percent. Therefore the government is not trying to mislead us, this is what it really is. [Inflation of] 12.9 percent is not little, but it is important to pay particular attention to food," Putin said at his direct line Q&A session.
The president added that he believed that the growth in food prices was temporary and prices would drop in the future.
