U.S. Delegation Attends Forum as Russia Reports Economic Strain

A letter circulated at the forum addressed Russia's leader on age and battlefield setbacks. Russian officials called the tone rude and said responses would go to soldiers on the frontline instead.

At the plenary session, officials described Russia's economy as stable despite wars and sanctions. Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's special envoy on foreign investment, said interest rates were too high and should be lowered to encourage more investment. Business owners in Lipetsk region told reporters they were struggling to stay afloat under the combined pressure of war spending and sanctions.

Growth has stalled in most sectors, and Russian economists describe stagnation or decline in parts of the economy.

Cook Jr, chair of the U.S.

Commission of Fine Arts, attended the forum and delivered greetings from President Trump to Russian leadership. Russia described the visit as the first official U.S. delegation in a decade. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was not aware of any official delegation and did not consider it high-level.

to the War Alexander Zhukov, deputy speaker of the State Duma, answered questions about the war's duration by quoting a statement that the situation must be resolved soon. " Local officials said the attacks damaged infrastructure without specifying targets.

A plume of thick black smoke rose over the city skyline on Wednesday as delegates arrived at the expo centre.