MOSCOW, Dec 2 (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that a fall in output in some sectors of the economy was not acceptable, and a transition to balanced growth remained a goal for the government and the central bank.

Speaking at an annual “Russia Calling” investment event, Putin said economic growth was now expected to slow to between 0.5% and 1%, which was an expected consequence of the central bank policy to fight inflation.

“At the same time, some imbalances have emerged. In several sectors, production output not only failed to increase this year but actually decreased. Are we satisfied with such trends? No,” Putin said.

Recent data showed that growth in industrial output was driven mainly by defence-related sectors, while output in sectors producing goods for

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