Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke at the annual meeting of the Federation of Russian Industrialists and Entrepreneurs on the 16th, saying that Russia's foreign trade volume will increase by 8.1% to reach 850 billion US dollars in 2022. According to Putin, in 2022, Russia's export volume increased by 19.9%, while its import volume decreased by 11.7%. Throughout the year, Russia achieved a trade surplus of 332 billion US dollars. Putin predicted that Russia's economy will see significant growth in the second quarter of this year. He said that due to Western sanctions, the Russian economy experienced a significant decline in June 2022, but since July last year, the Russian economy has begun to shift into a growth zone. In addition, Putin believes that Russia's current inflation level is better than expected, and it is expected that by the end of March or early April of this year, Russia's inflation rate is expected to reach the set target level of around 4%. (Liao Xinshe)