RIA Novosti: Putin’s meeting with Vasilyev was postponed due to the deputy’s illness

The meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin with the leader of the Duma faction “United Russia” Vladimir Vasilyev did not take place due to the illness of the parliamentarian, reported RIA Novosti, citing a source.

“He got sick, he tested positive. As far as I know, he was in quarantine during the test and the test showed a positive result. This was as of a few days ago. Probably for this reason,” he said.

Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier today that the meeting with Vasilyev would take place after the announcement of the head of state’s message to the Federal Assembly.

“The dialogue with United Russia is of a special nature for the country’s leadership, after all, it is the party of power, the party of the majority, and therefore the entire agenda of United Russia is well known to the president,” Peskov said.

Putin this week held a series of meetings with parliamentary faction leaders ahead of his February 21 address to the Federal Assembly. February 13 he talked in Novo-Ogaryovo with Communist Party Chairman Gennady Zyuganov and LDPR leader Leonid Slutsky.

February 14 head of state Meets with the chairman of the party “Fair Russia – For the Truth” Sergei Mironov (he will turn 70 on this day), and on February 15 – with the leader of the “New People” Alexei Nechaev. Meeting with Vasiliev wrote Vedomosti was scheduled for February 16.

The fact that the presidential address to the Federal Assembly will take place on February 21 became known February 10th. According to the Constitution, the president addresses the Federal Assembly with annual messages on the situation in the country, the main directions of the domestic and foreign policy of the state.

The last time the president delivered a message was on April 21, 2021. Traditionally, since 2019, the president delivered a message on Wednesdays, and before that, on Thursdays. In 2022, the presidential address did not take place. Preparations for it were carried out at the beginning of 2022, Vedomosti wrote, and it was supposed to take place in February-March of the same year. But work on it was suspended, because on February 21, the president signed decrees recognizing the DPR and LPR as independent states, and then, on February 24, announced the start of a military operation in Ukraine.