Putin to address Federal Assembly with annual message on April 21

MOSCOW, April 5. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will address the Federal Assembly with the annual message on April 21, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media. "The president will address the Federal Assembly with the annual message on April 21," he said. Peskov added that the venue of the event would be announced later. Different options are being considered, he said. "Let us not anticipate events. I believe that in the near future we will open accreditation for the mass media and at the same time announce the place where it will be held," Peskov said. He preferred to keep quiet about the themes of the forthcoming address. "Traditionally we never disclose the content or any of the themes that will be touched upon in the message. We will not do this now, too," he said. "As far as the indexing of pensions for employed pensioners is concerned, the government has been working actively on this issue. It is true that the Cabinet of Ministers has sent different proposals on this score to the president," Peskov said when asked if the issue of pensions would be touched upon in the presidential message. He added that "no decisions have been made (on indexing pensions for working pensioners)." Read more