Almost all mutual payments in CIS are in national currencies -- Kremlin aide
- Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov boasts of financial infrastructure independent from Western influence.
- Mutual payments within Commonwealth of Independent States now overwhelmingly in local currencies.
- Russia pushes expansion of North-South and East-West logistical corridors to bypass traditional global trade routes.
- Moscow signals continued pivot away from dollar-denominated systems.
Brief Summary
The Kremlin is doubling down on its efforts to insulate the CIS trade bloc from global financial oversight. According to aide Yury Ushakov, the alliance has successfully shifted over 90% of its mutual commercial operations into national currencies, effectively ditching the dollar and euro for internal business. Beyond just currency, the bloc is aggressively hardening its logistics, upgrading transport corridors to ensure trade flows regardless of international sanctions or geopolitical pressure.
Why This Matters
This signals a long-term fragmentation of the global financial order. As major players like Russia and its regional partners build out parallel banking and trade infrastructure, the reach and leverage of the U.S. dollar are slowly being eroded. If these alternative systems gain traction, the effectiveness of American economic sanctions—a primary tool of foreign policy—will diminish, potentially leading to a more volatile global market where the U.S. has less visibility and control over international capital flows.