The meeting was held in preparation for the Government's annual report to the State Duma.
Mikhail Mishustin's opening remarks
Remarks by Vladimir Vasiliev, leader of the United Russia faction
Excerpts from the transcript:
Mikhail Mishustin’s meeting with United Russia party faction at State Duma
Mikhail Mishustin’s meeting with United Russia party faction at State Duma
Mikhail Mishustin’s meeting with United Russia party faction at State Duma
Vladimir Vasiliev, leader of the United Russia faction, at Mikhail Mishustin’s meeting with faction deputies at the State Duma
Mikhail Mishustin’s meeting with United Russia party faction at State Duma
Mikhail Mishustin: Mr Vasiliev,
Colleagues, good afternoon. Welcome to the White House.
Ahead of us, we have one of the key events in our, if I may say so, joint activities: the Government’s report to the State Duma on last year’s performance. We always prepare for it thoroughly and with great care.
Of course, an important part of this preparation is consultation with deputies of your chamber of the Federal Assembly. During these meetings, we discuss the current agenda, the legislative process, regional initiatives, and many other issues that concern our citizens.
The President, assessing the results of the State Duma’s work last year, noted that it was bold and highly productive.
The Government is also actively cooperating with you, including on the implementation of the national development goals set by the head of state. Our first meeting in this context is with United Russia, which represents the parliamentary majority.
I will briefly outline the most significant results of our joint work over the past year.
First and foremost is the drafting of the federal budget and its subsequent adjustments. This is a large-scale and complex task that we have carried out together. The faction worked constructively with its colleagues from the Government, as well as with public organisations, engaging at the highest expert level. Most importantly, this work was focused on finding concrete and practical solutions.
The amendments proposed by United Russia made it possible to allocate more than 174 billion roubles in additional funding for a number of socially significant areas. I will list just a few of them: increased support for families with children; assistance to participants in the special military operation and their families, accelerated major repairs of schools, modernisation of infrastructure at scientific institutions, continued gas supply, road construction, and improvements in rural areas.
A great deal is also being done within the framework of the party’s People’s Programme. Dozens of clinics and first-aid stations, schools, and kindergartens have been built or upgraded – facilities that directly improve people’s quality of life.
This work is carried out in close coordination with the Government and in close cooperation with the regions. This approach fully reflects the interests of citizens and responds to their real needs.
Another extremely important area of activity is comprehensive support for our defenders of the Fatherland and, of course, their families.
I know that deputies approach every initiative in this area promptly and with the utmost care. Last year, United Russia initiated an entire package of laws expanding social protections for service members. Deputies from other factions and senators also took part in their development, which once again demonstrates the Federal Assembly’s responsible approach to issues of national importance.
The initiatives that have already become law include a provision allowing relatives of participants in the special military operation to take additional leave when necessary. The Government also supported the initiative to grant free travel to the place of military medical examinations for all service members. Their children will now retain benefits after turning 18 and completing school until the start of the next academic year at a college or university.
Participants in the special military operation and their relatives are exempt from paying state fees in the most common court proceedings, including cases related to survivor pensions.
Together, we have also created additional employment opportunities for our defenders upon their return home. They can now receive a second vocational education free of charge, acquire new skills, and pursue a profession that suits them.
Overall, the State Duma devotes considerable attention to education and professional training. We know that draft laws in these areas are always reviewed with particular care.
For example, in line with the President’s instructions, we have jointly expanded opportunities for applicants to enroll in state-funded places. Large systemically important enterprises, agricultural organisations, and residents of free economic zones in the new regions can now request targeted training programmes.
Most importantly, all of our work is aimed at bringing positive changes to people’s lives. This applies to a wide range of areas: transport, construction, road infrastructure, education, and healthcare. It also includes improving access to medicines for citizens across the country, in every locality.
Andrei Isayev raised this issue last year during the Government’s report, and we discussed it in detail. A draft law introducing mobile pharmacies, prepared by deputies and senators, has already passed its first reading. The Government has issued positive feedback. We expect that the implementation of this mechanism will significantly improve access to medicines in areas where it is difficult to establish stationary infrastructure. Our country is vast, and this issue is especially important.
Colleagues, there were many other draft regulations, no less significant for citizens.
These include measures to protect consumers from imposed paid subscriptions, as well as support for the self-employed, who have been granted the right to voluntarily participate in the experiment on paying social insurance contributions and, as a result, to receive sick leave benefits.
I would also like to highlight the intensive work carried out by executive agencies and the State Duma on migration legislation, with the active participation of Irina Yarovaya.
At a recent meeting with State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, we discussed the current rather packed parliamentary agenda. I am confident that, with the support of the faction, it will be completed on time and in strict accordance with the President’s instructions. And, most importantly, we must continue to pay close attention to feedback from our citizens.
Now I would like to give the floor to Vladimir Vasiliev.
Vladimir Vasiliev, leader of the United Russia faction, at Mikhail Mishustin’s meeting with faction deputies at the State Duma
Vladimir Vasiliev: Thank you very much. Mr Mishustin, colleagues, members of the Government.
We note and appreciate your positive remarks regarding the work carried out by the legislators of our party in cooperation with the Government. We share your view on the importance of this interaction.
While the year has passed quickly, it has been highly productive. As you mentioned, the constitutional practice of preparing for the Government’s report to the State Duma included nine ‘Government Hours’. This represents a significant volume of work, including dozens of committee meetings with relevant ministers and participation from all parliamentary parties. The current State Duma is now characterised by a level of engagement, substance, and continuity in its work with the Government that is unprecedented. For this, I would like to express our gratitude to you personally, as the Prime Minster, and the members of the Government, both those present and absent today – a sentiment echoed by other factions with whom we cooperate.
Looking ahead, I would add that our colleagues from the LDPR and New People parties voted in favour of the budget despite their reservations. Consequently, the budget was passed not only with the votes of United Russia deputies – for which we thank our colleagues – but also with the support of other parliamentary groups who maintain a constant dialogue with the Government and understand the extent of our current efforts.
Today, we adopted in its first reading the law on mobile pharmacies, implementing the President’s instruction following the Direct Line conference. This is a crucial initiative, particularly for remote villages lacking such services. We thank you for your collaboration on this matter.
We are also examining ways to ensure support continues for large families even when the household’s combined income narrowly exceeds the eligibility threshold for the unified child benefit programme. This reflects our commitment (a point you have raised and we will now discuss in more detail) to follow the President’s guiding principle: “Whatever decisions the State Duma makes, and whatever the sphere in which laws are passed, I ask you always to consider how they will affect families with children.” This principle directs our work, and I trust my colleagues will elaborate further.
Our absolute priority remains supporting participants in the special military operation and their families. Since the beginning of 2022, 154 relevant laws have been adopted, 30 of them in the past year alone. This joint work is especially important and valuable, and we look forward to discussing new initiatives on this today. In particular, Dmitry Vyatkin will speak on this matter.
Under challenging circumstances, and in close cooperation with the Government, we passed the budget with 349 votes, a figure I cite deliberately. Andrei Makarov is not speaking today, but the work accomplished by the Budget Committee and all those who engage with it cannot be overstated. Passing the budget with such a strong majority in the current climate is a notable achievement.
This demonstrates our considerable potential: the potential for trust within society and for trust in the Government. We must undoubtedly nurture and strengthen this.
During the eighth convocation, approximately 150 laws supporting motherhood and childhood were adopted, 35 of them last year. This is sustained, systemic work, for which I thank all those involved once again.
Alongside the budget package, our party supported the difficult and potentially unpopular decision to amend tax legislation. United Russia’s leadership, together with the business community and public organisations, has established and maintains continuous party-parliamentary oversight to monitor how businesses are adapting to the new economic conditions. We will assist those facing difficulties and create conditions for introducing high-tech equipment – a topic we will return to later.
At a recent meeting with the president, Minister Maxim Reshetnikov proposed drafting a bill that would calculate business support measures based on first-quarter results of the current year, rather than on figures from the previous year. We support this initiative and are ready to actively participate in its development.
The party has substantial experience in monitoring. In 2022–2025, with your personal support, Mr Mishustin – thank you for that – we conducted continuous oversight of major repairs in schools. Over the course of three years, we helped prevent construction delays and instances of misappropriation in 6,514 schools, case by case. Each month, deputies from our faction visited their regions and conducted inspections together with teachers and parents. This approach delivered tangible results. Moreover, it deserves close attention as a best practice: it enables significant outcomes without resorting to harsh measures or increasing the burden on law enforcement and supervisory bodies. On average, savings amounted to approximately 25 percent. These results were achieved by eliminating abuses, ensuring transparent procurement procedures, and promoting open tenders. In addition, preference was given to local manufacturers when purchasing equipment, which also encouraged them.
In line with the State Duma Speaker’s instruction, an inter-faction commission on migration was established. Irina Yarovaya will report on this. We can already see positive changes. This year alone, 10 billion roubles were brought out of the shadow economy and into the state budget. This is the result of coordinated efforts by legislators and all relevant agencies, including the Ministry of the Interior, which revised its approach to ensuring objectivity and transparency in language exam administration. We have now extended this work to the issuance of medical certificates for foreign citizens, and I am confident that this will also yield positive results.
The development of a high-tech economy is impossible without qualified personnel. In order to address this challenge, we have been working closely with the Government, the scientific community, and educational authorities. Together, we have adopted a law launching an experimental program in three regions that allows ninth-grade graduates to take two entrance exams to college instead of four. The results of the experiment were encouraging. In Moscow, enrollment in nursing programmes doubled within a year. In the Lipetsk Region, the number of trained welders also doubled over the same period. Based on these outcomes, the experiment was expanded to nine other regions and now covers 12 in total. This entails significant responsibility, but also offers enormous potential. I know this from the experience of my own region. As with the renovation of educational institutions and other projects, success here depends on coordinated joint efforts.
This year, approximately one million ninth-grade graduates nationwide plan to enroll in colleges, while industry currently expects 1.5 million new specialists. With the approach we are implementing, and as supported by current results, we can reach this target within two to three years. However, a key challenge remains: not all colleges are equipped with up-to-date high-tech equipment. Nevertheless, our work with businesses shows that they are willing to organise additional sessions and training hours. Companies are interested in training specialists tailored to their specific needs, using their own advanced equipment and in cooperation with industrial training professionals.
It is particularly important for us as deputies that the president consistently emphasises the need to focus on people. Thus, businesses can engage with future employees at an early stage, while young people – most of whom are locals –receive high-quality, well-paid vocational education in their home regions, rather than having to relocate to major metropolitan centres. This is a critically important factor.
I would also like to draw attention to the issue of fair distribution of insurance contribution rates between employees of traditional enterprises and those working through digital platforms. These matters will be addressed by Andrei Isayev. We initially considered two separate approaches, but ultimately decided to integrate them into a single solution. He will report on this.
Russian Post has been facing serious difficulties since 2020. The company has reduced its workforce by 72,000 employees, including 66,000 post carriers, operators, and drivers. This is acutely felt at the local level. The situation at Russian Post has reached a crisis point. Dmitry Medvedev has drawn attention to this issue, and we have received the relevant instructions. I believe this matter should be included in the future people’s programme you have mentioned – a programme that represents the party’s, and the faction’s, report to the citizens of the country.
I believe Yevgeny Revenko will report on this. I conclude my brief remarks.
Mikhail Mishustin: Thank you, Mr Vasiliev.
I would also like to personally thank you and our colleagues present here for your active and constructive cooperation. This work has not been easy, yet we remain in constant dialogue. I note that to your right are three former members of the Government – Alexander Zhukov, Viktoria Abramchenko, and Alexei Gordeyev –who served at different times in the Russian Government. This gives you a deep understanding of how the executive branch operates. Your thoughtful, detailed, and well-developed proposals enable us to further improve the legal framework of the Russian Federation, promote economic development, enhance citizens’ wellbeing, and effectively apply the practical experience in law enforcement that United Russia possesses, ensuring that regulations are convenient and comfortable for people.
Thank you.
