Russia plans to support the candidacy of French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde for the head of the International Monetary Fund, Lagarde's Russian counterpart Alexei Kudrin said on Tuesday.
"She has all the necessary qualities, and we will back her candidacy during the vote," Kudrin said at a Russian government inner cabinet meeting.
"The platform and proposals of Christine Lagarde are absolutely in line with the aims and tasks of the IMF," the Russian finance minister added.
The 24-strong IMF board is meeting on Tuesday to try to reach a consensus on the new IMF leader without holding a formal vote.
The post became vacant after the resignation of former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn over sexual assault charges in May.
The IMF will choose between Lagarde, 55, and Mexican Central Bank chief Agustin Carstens, 53, who is seen as an outsider.
