Vladimir Putin Says Russian Economy Will Rebound

President Vladimir V. Putin tried to play down Russia’s dire economic straits in his annual news conference on Thursday, attributing the troubles to declining oil prices that, following a short period of economic turbulence, were bound to recover along with global demand.

“We are going through a trying period, difficult times at the moment,” Mr. Putin said at the three-hour get together with 1,200 reporters from Russia and around the world. “I would not call the situation a crisis. You may call it whatever you want.”

Russia’s oil and gas-dependent...