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Yelena Yampolskaya delivered the main report covering the progress of efforts to implement the President’s instructions and the Council’s main areas of focus.

Proposals were also submitted for discussion regarding further support of the Russian language and the languages of the peoples of Russia, including editorial and educational public projects.

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, colleagues.

As per tradition, we hold this council’s meetings ahead of Pushkin Day in Russia, or Russian Language Day. First of all, congratulations on the upcoming holiday. Thank you for your activism and especially for developing the fundamentals of the state language policy of the Russian Federation.

For the first time, our country has a strategic plan that determines the priorities and main areas of focus with regards to the preservation, development and support of the Russian language as well as the languages of other peoples living in Russia.

The action plan for the implementation of these fundamental principles has been approved. I would like to ask the Government to ensure its funding and execution.

I also believe it important to grant the report on the state language policy the status of a state report. It is a significant project that should be delivered annually.

Colleagues, next autumn, on September 8, our wonderful poet Rasul Gamzatov’s birthday, we will mark the Day of the Languages of the Peoples of Russia for the first time. It is symbolic that this initiative is being launched during the Year of the Unity of the Peoples of Russia.

It is equally important to start the publishing project called The Library of Russian Peoples’ Literature Masterpieces this year. This library will include Russian translations of the best works by ethnic authors and will make them available to a broader readership.

This book series is included in the instructions on supporting the Russian language and the languages of the Russian peoples that I issued on February 3, 2026. I would like to highlight some more instructions as well.

First, work will soon begin on developing an academic module for higher education institutions titled “Russian as a State Language.” This module will cover, among other things, the constitutional status of the Russian language and issues related to Russia’s language policy. It would be prudent if, in the future, this subject became part of the core curriculum in higher education.

Second, it is observed that many of our higher education institutions lack a separate faculty of Russian language and Literature. Russian philology, German philology, and English philology are all, on an equal basis, components of a single faculty of philology. This is clearly inconsistent with the perception of the Russian language as one of the core values of modern Russia.

I am aware that last year, an independent faculty of Russian language and literature was established at the Vladimir Vernadsky Crimean Federal University. I hope that other federal universities will follow the example of our colleagues in Crimea, particularly those that train future language and literature teachers.

Third, it is necessary to improve the quality of training for primary school teachers. The number of hours allocated to the study of the Russian language and literature, as well as teaching methodologies, should certainly be increased.

These subjects directly affect the development of the general and speech culture of future primary school teachers and their aesthetic sensibilities, which ultimately affects the upbringing and education of children. Indeed, the level of proficiency in the Russian language, articulate speech, and the ability to read and comprehend texts significantly contributes to a student’s high academic performance in all other subjects. It is no coincidence that the task of improving the system of teaching the Russian language and literature in educational institutions has been designated as a priority of state language policy.

One of the solutions to this task is the preparation of unified state textbooks on the Russian language and literature for the secondary education system. I ask that you report today on the progress of this work.

Allow me to remind you that all test and examination materials must be aligned with the content of these textbooks. This will ensure that only the material that has been studied – what the students covered in class – is tested.

One further proposal. The summer holidays have begun. In recent years, an increasing number of children’s recreational camps have been organising themed sessions: geographical, historical, and cultural. I have no doubt that sessions dedicated to the Russian language and national literature will also attract considerable interest among children, adolescents, their parents, and teachers. I ask the Ministry of Education and the Federal Agency for Youth to participate in implementing this idea, starting with federal children’s camps.

In conclusion, I would note that many of the instructions issued following previous meetings of the Council have been implemented, and many are in progress. I hope that new proposals will be put forward today, including those aimed at supporting people with disabilities, for example, those with hearing or speech impairments who use Russian Sign Language. There are nearly 200,000 speakers of this language in our country. It is crucial to ensure an appropriate quality and quantity of teachers and interpreters in this field.

Let us begin our work.

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Vladimir Putin: Let me say a few words in conclusion of our meeting.

First, regarding the proposals made here today, such as Children’s Book Day, which Ms Yampolskaya and her colleagues put forward. We will certainly support it; it is a good and worthwhile idea. I remember a colleague mentioning the presentation of 1943 books and other materials during one such event. This is certainly very good. You know, it is extremely important for us, especially for our young people and children, to sense the atmosphere of that period, which can best be achieved through literature of that period, so that they understand how their peers lived.

Just recently, on May 9, Alexander Lukashenko, who visited our country for the celebrations, brought along bread baked according to recipes used during the war in Stalingrad, Leningrad and other regions of the former Soviet Union. It was interesting to taste bread made during the siege of Leningrad, made in Stalingrad, Moscow and other cities.

But literary, creative and cultural nourishment is no less important. It is of paramount importance and must certainly include modern books for children.

As for the revival of the Pushkin Society, this should certainly be done. Thank you for drawing our attention to this issue. This should be done, and we must do it in the best possible manner. Likewise, we should support the idea proposed by [Director of the State Pushkin Museum] Yevgeny Bogatyrev regarding the 2027 events [the 180^th anniversary of Alexander Pushkin’s death and 135 years since the establishment of the first Pushkin Society]. We certainly should and will provide assistance to this year’s events related to Pushkin.

The only thing I would like to ask all our colleagues and Council members is that these events focus on Pushkin as a phenomenon and a genius. We all know, of course, that Pushkin’s genius and works form the basis of the modern Russian language. But it would be good if we could show how the origins of his genius developed and what are the fundamental elements of Russian literature.

We all remember his verses – sorry if I get it wrong, but I think it sounds like this: “Old Derzhavin noticed us – and, descending to his grave, blessed us.” This means that there were other literary phenomena before Pushkin upon whom his works were built. It would be reasonable to use this not only to once again talk about the importance of Pushkin and his works, even though this is certainly important, but also to highlight everything connected with this, including the future development of the Russian language and literature.

We must certainly do everything possible to support the Russian sign language. I fully agree: hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens use it, and we must ensure that they feel like full members of our society.

The proposal to publish the Library of Masterpieces of the Peoples of Russia series is an excellent one. I mentioned this in my conversation with the Acting Head of Daghestan. I believe we devote far too little attention to the languages of the peoples of the Russian Federation. The communities themselves do not always pay enough attention to them, and the federal government and the expert community certainly should do more to support and promote them. I therefore believe that this is an extremely important area of work and it will undoubtedly receive support.

As for working with children during the summer, that is a separate area altogether. I would like to ask our colleagues, particularly those in the Government, to give it the closest possible attention and to take into account the recommendations of our Council.

Before concluding, I would like to make one more point.

When it comes to our native language, we often take it for granted. Even when we overlook certain things or fail to pay attention to them, we assume everything will somehow take care of itself. Take advertising in the Latin alphabet, which is widespread. There is less of it in Moscow than elsewhere, but even here we see plenty of examples, many of them entirely unnecessary.

Of course, there are brands and trademarks that cannot simply change their names, nor should they be expected to. However, even where companies use internationally recognised brands that they must retain, it is still possible to think about how to present them in a way that is more appropriate and accessible for people in Russia, on Russian territory.

Incidentally, speaking of cooperation in this area, you have probably noticed the initiative put forward by President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. He proposed creating an international association for the Russian language. It is an excellent initiative. I would ask you to support it at the expert level as well. The structure has already been formally established, but it is important to fill it with meaningful, substantive and engaging content at the expert level. That would be very useful.

Sometimes we assume that certain things will simply fall into place on their own, even if we forget about them. We think they will somehow develop naturally. I believe that is a misconception – and a dangerous one. Nothing develops by itself. Nothing takes shape or gets done on its own.

What is needed is thoughtful, focused work by specialists of public organisations, the media, and the state. Everyone must work together.

I would now like to address the members of our Council directly. It is the expert community, the specialists who have devoted their lives to the Russian language, to its study, preservation and promotion, who should define the key ideas, priorities and direction of this work. The state can only support these efforts. Indeed, it has a duty to do so but experts and specialists, above all those represented on this Council, are the ones who should determine the substance of this work.

Therefore, I would like to ask Ms Yampolskaya to continue coordinating the Council’s activities. It is also essential to draft all legislative instruments to ensure that the recommendations put forward by Council members are not forgotten but are instead reflected in corresponding regulations, instructions and other official decisions. Where necessary, let us organise this work in such a way that these recommendations are incorporated into the corresponding regulatory framework of the Russian Federation Government and are properly followed through. Everything we have discussed today should remain on the agenda of our joint efforts – those of the Government, the Presidential Executive Office, and the Presidential Council, whose members and I have spent the last two hours discussing what I believe are extremely important issues.

There are always many pressing day-to-day problems. My colleagues in the Government, including the ministers who spoke today, will of course continue their work and organise policy implementation. But I would like to reiterate one point: even the most senior and capable officials are busy with their day-to-day work. Defining a broader vision and principal directions for supporting the Russian language, everything connected with it, and for supporting the languages of the peoples of the Russian Federation, is a task that rightly belongs to the expert community.

Therefore, I urge you to continue this work and to contact the Presidential Executive Office whenever necessary, without hesitation, as well as Ms Yampolskaya. And I ask Ms Yampolskaya, as I have already said, to prepare the necessary regulatory framework to ensure the continuation of our joint work in line with the agreements reached during today's meeting.

Thank you all very much.

All the best.