Russia's 2010 federal budget deficit may turn out to be much lower than the forecast of 5.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Monday.
"We hope that the 2010 federal budget deficit will be significantly lower than the forecast of 5.3 percent of GDP, and next year we plan for it to be a little over three," Putin said at a meeting of foreign investment council.
Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin has said he did not expect this year's budget deficit to be below five percent.
RIA Novosti
