Vladimir Putin to Hold Traditional Year-End Press Conference
The Russian president is set to go ahead with his annual marathon press conference at 12 pm Moscow time (9 am GMT) on Thursday.
Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed ahead of the event that it will be held in the comprehensive format it has become known for.
"There is a certain time limit of course, but along with this there is a certain amount of flexibility, so there is sufficient time for the press conference to be held in its traditional, rather exhaustive format," Peskov said when asked about the expected length of the event.
Thursday's press conference will be Putin's thirteenth; the comprehensive press conferences, attended by both Russian and foreign journalists, have been held since 2001. Putin held the event every year from 2001-2008, except 2005; after his reelection for a third term, he's held the event annually since 2012. Thursday's press conference will be the last to be held during Putin's third term in office.
The average presidential press conference lasts over three hours and includes dozens of questions from reporters on topics ranging from the economy and foreign policy to Putin's personal life.
This year, the number of journalists accredited for the event broke last year's record, with 1,640 journalists expected to attend. Alongside journalists from Russia's regions are reporters from the US, Germany, Japan, France, China, Poland and other countries.
- Source : Sputnik
