Russian Finance Minister sees 2016 budget deficit at 3 percent with oil at $40 per barrel

[May 17, 2016] MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on Tuesday that the budget deficit this year was expected to comprise 3 percent of gross domestic product with oil prices at $40 per barrel, and it was unlikely that crude could become more expensive.

He also told Rossiya-24 TV station in an interview that he did not expect the rouble to be more volatile compared to its current levels.

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly and Katya Golubkova; Editing by Dmitry Solovyov)

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