<p>Russia's President <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/vladimir-putin">Vladimir Putin</a> has asked oligarchs to donate to the country's budget in a bid to stabilise the country's finances as he presses on with his invasion of Ukraine, <em>The Bell</em> online media outlet reported late on Thursday, citing unnamed sources.</p><p>It said Putin met top Russia's businessmen behind closed doors on Thursday.</p>.Putin calls for swift de-escalation in West Asia in call with Iranian President Pezeshkian.<p>The <em>Financial Times</em> also published a similar report on Thursday, citing three people familiar with the matter. <em>The Bell</em>, citing the sources, said Putin discussed military funding and continuation of the war, which is in its fifth year since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.</p><p>Russia will fight on, Putin said, until it captures the remaining areas of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region not under its control, the report added.</p><p><em>The Bell</em> also said billionaire Suleiman Kerimov at the meeting with Putin pledged to donate 100 billion roubles ($1.23 billion). <em>Reuters</em> could not immediately verify the report. Calls to Kerimov's office in Russia's Federation Council were not answered outside of business hours on Friday.</p><p>As the war in Ukraine drags on, Russia is facing a double whammy of falling budget revenues from energy sales and of an economic slowdown, which affects tax income from other sectors of the economy.</p><p>Sources told <em>Reuters</em> earlier this month that the Russian government has been preparing a possible 10% cut to all "non-sensitive" spending in this year's budget, but the final decision will hinge on the sustainability of the oil price rise triggered by the Iran war.</p>
<p>Russia's President <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/vladimir-putin">Vladimir Putin</a> has asked oligarchs to donate to the country's budget in a bid to stabilise the country's finances as he presses on with his invasion of Ukraine, <em>The Bell</em> online media outlet reported late on Thursday, citing unnamed sources.</p><p>It said Putin met top Russia's businessmen behind closed doors on Thursday.</p>.Putin calls for swift de-escalation in West Asia in call with Iranian President Pezeshkian.<p>The <em>Financial Times</em> also published a similar report on Thursday, citing three people familiar with the matter. <em>The Bell</em>, citing the sources, said Putin discussed military funding and continuation of the war, which is in its fifth year since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.</p><p>Russia will fight on, Putin said, until it captures the remaining areas of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region not under its control, the report added.</p><p><em>The Bell</em> also said billionaire Suleiman Kerimov at the meeting with Putin pledged to donate 100 billion roubles ($1.23 billion). <em>Reuters</em> could not immediately verify the report. Calls to Kerimov's office in Russia's Federation Council were not answered outside of business hours on Friday.</p><p>As the war in Ukraine drags on, Russia is facing a double whammy of falling budget revenues from energy sales and of an economic slowdown, which affects tax income from other sectors of the economy.</p><p>Sources told <em>Reuters</em> earlier this month that the Russian government has been preparing a possible 10% cut to all "non-sensitive" spending in this year's budget, but the final decision will hinge on the sustainability of the oil price rise triggered by the Iran war.</p>