Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 12 August (BelTA) – International sanctions are a signal for Russia and Belarus to stop using dollars in mutual payments, Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Piotr Prokopovich told reporters on 12 August, BelTA has learned.

Piotr Prokopovich noted that in the current situation Belarus and Russia could expand the use of the national currencies.

“The sanctions are a signal prompting us to rearrange our work, including in the field of monetary policy, so that we will not need to use dollars,” Piotr Prokopovich said.

The Vice Premier stated that dollars are not used to trade in the majority of commodities. “Today we use dollars to pay for oil products, gas, and oil. Why would we need to use dollars when we have the Russian ruble and the Belarusian ruble? We need to create the necessary conditions and gradually, or even as fast as we can, get off the dollar hook,” Piotr Prokopovich said.