Peskov Briefs on Duma Elections, EU Sanctions, US-Iran Tensions

MOSCOW, June 11. /TASS/. Preparations for elections to the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, EU sanctions plans, and the sick leave of Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina were the main topics of Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov's briefing on Thursday.

TASS has compiled the Kremlin spokesman's key statements.

On President's schedule

- Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a meeting with the permanent members of the Russian Security Council today.

- Tomorrow is a working day for the head of state, and traditional events are also planned for Russia Day.

On State Duma elections

- The presidential decree scheduling the State Duma elections will be signed within the timeframe stipulated by law. "The corresponding presidential decree will be signed within the appropriate timeframe stipulated by law. We do not announce this in advance, and we will not do so now," Peskov noted.

- Preparations for the State Duma elections are currently underway, and they will be held in full compliance with Russian law. "Regarding the elections, I would like to remind you of President Putin's words about the importance of holding elections in any case. Therefore, preparations are underway for these very important elections, and they will be held in full compliance with our laws," the Kremlin official added.

On escalation between the US and Iran

- Russia is concerned about the latest escalation between the US and Iran and calls on all parties to exercise restraint and return to negotiations. "We are concerned about this. We call on all parties to this conflict to exercise restraint," Peskov said.

- A new round of escalation between the US and Iran is fraught with consequences for the entire global economy. "Another round of escalating tensions is fraught with new, additional negative consequences for the situation in the region and the international economy as a whole," he emphasized.

On EU's plans for new sanctions

- The situation in the banking sector is absolutely stable and under control. "Just yesterday, at a meeting with the government, the president said that despite certain difficulties, including trends such as slower investment growth, the situation is still absolutely stable and completely under control.

- The same can be said about the banking sector," the Kremlin spokesman assured. "Regarding illegal sanctions and external restrictions on our banking system, this is not a new phenomenon. You know that our largest banks have long been under sanctions," he recalled.

- Being under sanctions does not prevent Russian banks from earning large profits and developing: "This does not prevent banks from earning large profits, developing, maintaining absolute stability, and retaining the highest possible reliability ratings," the official said.

On Nabiullina's sick leave

- The sick leave of Bank of Russia Governor Elvira Nabiullina "should not be a source of conspiracy theories". "We wish her a speedy recovery and hope that everything is absolutely fine. People get sick sometimes. There's nothing special about it. This shouldn't be a source of, you know, conspiracy theories," Peskov concluded.