Ruble rules trade with Central Asian ally – Putin

The share of the ruble in Russia’s trade with Tajikistan topped 80% during the first half of 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters on Tuesday following a meeting with his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon in Moscow.

According to the Russian head of state, trade turnover between the two countries increased by 18.3% last year and has been growing further since, with transactions largely made in national currencies.

“National currencies occupy an increasingly important place in mutual settlements between our countries. In particular, the share of the ruble in commercial transactions in the first half of this year reached an impressive 83%,” said Putin, adding that both countries are actively working on building new channels between their respective banking institutions to make economic cooperation more convenient. He…