Putin downplays Russia's economic woes, orders potholes filled during scripted call-in show

Canadians can relate to the first question posedto Russian President VladimirPutinin an open-line question and answer show Thursday: Why are the roads and potholes so bad?

Putin answered the question, whichcame froma woman inthe Siberian region of Omsk, promising results. Less than an hour later, the show relayed "an urgent message"from the Department of Engineering 21 roads will be fixed by May 1.

Direct Lineis the Kremlin's annualhours-longquestion and answer show broadcast live on radio and television.

Itis the president's annual platform to address the Russian Federation, and he uses itto burnish his image as a strong leader who protects Russia from foreign threats and cares about people's needs.Last year's show garnered an audience of 8.5 million.

Although Direct Line is billed as a live event,questions had clearly been vetted in advance.

This year's questions were culled from more thantwo millionsubmitted to a call centre earlier thisweek. Putin was comfortable and well briefed to answer queries about everything from the economy andhis love lifeto the conflictsin Syria and Ukraine.

Canada

In a large and informal media scrum immediately after the broadcast, CBC Newsasked Putinabout Canada's prime minister and how he saw Canada-Russiarelations going forward (watch the video).

"Positively," he replied.

With regard to Prime Minister JustinTrudeau,Putinadded, "We are acquainted ...we met in Antalyaat the G20. We met personally.He expressed how he plans to build relations with Russia. This, to us, was acceptable.

"The way Iunderstand it, the new prime minister of Canada wants to build on everything positive we had in previous years, and that totally suits us. We are neighbours over the North Pole.Strangely, thoughwe are far apart [geographically], we have many mutual interests.We will happily work together."

U.S. 'imperial ambitions'

During the broadcast, many questions surfaced about Russia's foreign relations.

In response to thequestion "Who is worse, Trump or Clinton?"Putinsaid for Russia, it's not who leads the U.S. that matters most. It'show the U.S. treats Russia.

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"It's about Russia, which you can't manipulate," he said. "You can't force it to act and dance how you want, to your tune. But if they speak to us with respect, if they look for compromise, like we do, then we will always find solutions that will satisfy us all."

Putin says the United States must abandon its "imperial ambitions" and treat Russia as an equal partner. He added thatWashington must learn to respect Russia's legitimate interests and co-operate with Moscow as an equal. Russia-U.S. ties have been strained over the Ukrainian crisis, differences over Syria and other issues.

Putin said thatdespite the tensions,Moscow and Washington have been able to co-operate constructively on such issues as nuclearnon-proliferation, the fight against terrorism and the monitoring ofIran's nuclear program

He warned the U.S. against "speaking from the position of force, diktat and imperial ambitions," adding if the U.S. treats Russia with respect, "we will always be able to find solutions that will satisfy everyone."

Russian economy

On the economy,Putinsaid Russia's agricultural production has risen even though its national economy has plunged into recessionand predictedthat the economy would start growing next year.

Panama Papers

In a long answer to a question about theU.S. "slandering" ofRussia over revelations in the Panama Paperslinking Putin to a network of people holding more than $2 billion US inoffshore accounts, the Russian president batted away allegations that he benefitedfrom theaccountsof friends like cellistSergeyRodugin.

He saidRoduginused all the money to buy expensive, high-endmusical instruments.

He went on to say that the Sueddeutsche Zeitung, the German newspaper that first received theleak of 11.4 million files from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca,is owned by GoldmanSachs, whichPutin took as a clear sign thatthe U.S. had a hand in the Panama Papersleak.

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In a statement on the newspaper's website, managing directorStefan Hilscher saidthe paper is a "100 per cent subsidiary" of theSueddeutsche Verlag publishing house, 81.25 per cent of which belongs to a holding company,Suedwestdeutschen Medienholding, and 18.75 per cent of which is in the hands of the Munich publishing family Friedmann.

"Sdwestdeutsche Medienholdinghas no corporate ties to Goldman Sachs," the statementsaid.

Goldman Sachs referred to Hilscher's statement and declined further comment.

Syrian civil war

Putin saidRussia has shored up the Syrian army to the point where it can conduct offensive operations despite a Russian military drawdown.

After Russia pulled back some of its warplanes from Syria in March, the Syrian army recaptured Palmyra from ISIS, he said.

Putin voiced hope that the Russian- and U.S.-brokered truce wouldhelppeace talks in Geneva go forward, paving way for a new constitution and an early election. ISIS and the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front have been excluded from the truce.

Commenting on the situation around Aleppo, where fighting has intensified recently, Putin said the Nusra fightersand other opposition forces are positioned close to each other, complicating the situation.

Sports doping scandal

Putin says meldonium, the banned substance for which tennis star Maria Sharapova has tested positive, shouldn't be considered a performance-enhancing drug.

[Meldonium]doesn'tinfluence the result. [It] just keeps heart muscles in good condition.- Vladimir Putin

There have been 172 failed drug tests for meldonium worldwide since the Latvian-made heart-drug was banned in 2016. Russian athletes make up the largest contingent of those known to have tested positive so far.

Putin saidThursday during themarathon call-in show that meldonium "doesn't influence the result."

"That's totally certain,"he said. "[It] just keeps heart muscles in good condition."

While Putin said he did not think authorities were targeting Russia in the decision to ban meldonium, he criticized the World Anti-Doping Agency for not carrying out research earlier on how long it takes to leave the body.

Some athletes say they stopped taking meldonium before it was banned but have still tested positive.

Drowning

In one of the more bizarre questions, "drowning"came up this year as it did in 2015.

Last year, the president said he would save U.S.PresidentBarack Obama if he were drowning. This year, he was asked whom he would save first,Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko or Turkish President Recep TayyipErdogan, both of whom arein tense relations with Russia.

Putin's ready reply: "If someone is determined to drown, you cannot save them."

Personal life

Traditionally, there is a question about the president's love life.

Asked about his ex-wife,Lyudmila Putina, he said she was happy and so was hebut wouldn't be drawn into revealing when or if there would be a new first lady.

Putinsuccessfully keeps his private life mostly under wraps inside Russia.

Don'twaitfor miracles. Act yourself!- Vladimir Putin

The president was also asked a few lighthearted questions.When asked what he would wish for if had three wishes from a genie, Putin displayedhis typical bravado, saying, "Don't wait for miracles. Act yourself!"

That same bravado came out when a caller asked if he were forced to eat porridge, would he do it.

"If I'm forced to do anything, I wouldn't do it," Putin said."But I did have porridge this morning.The fewer teeth you have,the more you love porridge."