— Mr. Putin, here's probably today's last question: About the breakthrough, which you mentioned in your Presidential Address and at the St. Petersburg Forum, of course, it is only possible if everyone is engaged in it, sharing this zeal to make the breakthrough. So, what would you say today to the people, so that nobody remains indifferent?
President Putin: I know that speaking about the breakthrough, discussing it both with the experts and with the common people, they often recall the goals that our country had in the 1930s and in the 1950s. Please note that in both cases, the matter was the survival of the country. The 1930s saw the so-called industrialization, collectivization; at that time the world was on the brink of war. Fascists had come to power in Germany, a civil war broke out in Spain. The whole world was in danger. The late 1940s and early 1950s saw a new, nuclear peril arise. The USSR needed to urgently develop missile and nuclear programs. All of the country's resources were concentrated toward this goal. Then, everyone understood how important it was for the survival of the country.
Today there is no such threat, because, as I mentioned today, we possess cutting-edge weapon systems; our security is ensured for a fairly long time. We have an enormous territory, colossal reserves of raw minerals, in general, we have very well-trained and educated people. But I want all of us to understand, to know, to bear in mind and to be guided by the following. If our technological development lags behind, if our economic growth rate isn't high enough, which is ensured by an at least 5% increase in labor productivity and technologies, including artificial intelligence, information technology, genetics and so on; if we can't ensure the connectedness of our country by new lines of communication, new roads; if we don't develop the air and railway transport infrastructure, port facilities as well as marine and inland water transport; if we do not pay due attention to important issues such as healthcare and education; we risk falling behind for good, which will threaten our sovereignty.
Therefore, we must marshal all of our resources — intellectual, moral, and financial — and understand the importance of the current stage of our development. We shouldn't jump onto the last carriage of the train departing to a new technological order, but rather, be the locomotive. Can we do this? Yes, we can, but only if we work together. That's the first thing.
Secondly, nowadays, we do not need to resort to the extreme measures used in the 1930s and 1950s. Because in order to succeed today, we must empower people as much as possible. We should ensure that every person unlocks their creative potential to the fullest. Only a free people can do this. Therefore, we need to develop our political system as well as a system of modern effective governance. Once again, we can and we will fulfill this task. But in order to do this, each of us needs to concentrate on what they do at their level.
I know that there are a lot of problems. I know that solving many of these problems is difficult too. But we can and we will do it if we do it together.
— We hope that we can finally build a Russia of dreams. Mr. Putin, thank you for this conversation. It was a phone-in with Vladimir Putin.
— Thanks to all participants of today's meeting. Dear colleagues, dear citizens, dear friends, I know that there are many more questions than those which we had a chance to answer today, which I had a chance to answer. But just like in previous annual phone-ins, I assure you that we will analyze all of the questions that were received to understand today's trends, your concerns, to react not only on a case-by-case basis but also to generalize your concerns, where possible in order to tune the work of the government for the coming years.
And, finally, I saw a message on the screen: "The nation is asking you questions, but I want to support you on this day." Many thanks to everyone who thinks so.
