President Putin reveals discussions before entire old government resigned

President Vladimir Putin in the interview "20 questions for Putin". Photo: TASS

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he had previously discussed the government's resignation with former Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

"My relations with Dmitry Medvedev are very open because of our friendship and comradeship for many years. There are no secrets between us. Therefore, we discussed it with each other, and Medvedev knew in advance what was going to happen," the Russian leader said in an interview with TASS.

President Putin also expressed disagreement with public opinion that the resignation of the entire government was an "exceptional act". However, Mr. Putin did not clarify whether anyone else besides him and former Prime Minister Medvedev knew about this plan and when the decisions were made.

In response to a TASS journalist's comment that the government's changes in January were a hasty decision, President Putin immediately retorted: "Why ask such questions, what will change?"

"Wouldn't it be better to dismiss the government, and then form it again in half a year? Can you imagine what would happen inside the country?" - the Russian President added.

According to President Putin, situations like "everything must be resolved calmly, thinking step by step, and then making a decision" will never happen, because "Russia is not such a country, unlike Belgium, a country without a government for a whole year".

Regarding the new government apparatus, the Russian President said that the new government has no time to calm down.

"It is a group of educated people, they are part of the general machinery. Many of them, in one way or another, have written national projects and contributed to the country's development goals. There is no time to react and be slow," President Putin emphasized.

On January 15, 2020, after President Vladimir Putin delivered his 2020 Federal Address, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announced his resignation before the National Assembly, and the entire Cabinet also left their positions. The Prime Minister said that this was in line with the President's proposed changes to the Constitution.

On January 16, 2020, Medvedev was appointed Vice Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation.

Mikhail Mishustin was appointed as the new Prime Minister of Russia.