President Vladimir V. Putin did his best to paint a rosy picture of the Russian economy in a speech to business leaders on Thursday, saying the country remains “open to the world” and has a plan for growth in spite of American and European sanctions. Appearing relaxed and joking with the financiers gathered for a banking conference, Mr. Putin tried to soothe worries that Russia is hemorrhaging money in capital flight, headed into a deep recession with rising inflation and a collapsing ruble and, according to stubborn rumors , preparing to impose capital controls if investors continue to take money out of the country. Russia is well prepared to hold out against hard times, he said, because of its still-sizable foreign currency reserves of about $460 billion. To attract investment, he said jokingly as he began a question-and-answer session, “all I have to do is smile and […]