Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov speaks during a news conference in Moscow, Russia September 12, 2016. REUTERS/Maxim Zmeyev

MOSCOW (Reuters) - If Russia’s budget deficit is at 1 percent of gross domestic product after 2019 that would be acceptable, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on Monday.

Earlier, the finance ministry had said it wanted to reduce the budget deficit to zero within a few years.