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Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Khristenko briefed the head of state on the work to create a trilateral gas consortium including Russia, Ukraine and Germany. Three versions of a business model for the consortium have been prepared and approved.

Vladimir Putin noted that active involvement of Germany in the consortium would be finally determined by October 2004, when Russian-German interstate consultations are held in Yekaterinburg.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin reported on the drafting of the 2004 budget. According to the Minister, the budget would retain its social character as the biggest increase of spending would be on education, healthcare and culture. Alexei Kudrin stressed that the budget also earmarks 60 billion roubles to finance law enforcement activities and that additional money will be allocated for the development of the contract service in the Army.