MOSCOW, May 23 (Reuters) - An observed pause in the decline of inflation expectations in Russia confirms that interest rates will need to stay high for a long time, the Bank of Russia said on Thursday, the latest in a series of hawkish signals.
After three successive interest rate holds at 16%, the central bank has hinted that a rate hike may be required at its next meeting on June 7, with inflation remaining stubbornly high. (Reporting by Elena Fabrichnaya and Alexander Marrow; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
