MOSCOW. Sept 14 (Interfax) - Russia has no concrete plans to stop using the dollar, but this issue is topical not just for Moscow but for other countries as well, presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Friday, speaking of VTB CEO Andrei Kostin's plan to stop using the dollar at some point.
"Russia has no concrete plans of the sort at the moment, but this is an item on our agenda," Peskov said.
"The issue of de-dollarization is being discussed both in Moscow and across the world. Lots of countries are holding talks and consultations between experts in order to limit the use of the dollar in mutual payments and economic and investment deals," Peskov said. This is just the beginning, he added.
"Many countries in Europe and the East, including the Middle East, are determined to eventually minimize the use of the dollar in trade," Peskov said.
"This is an ongoing process," Peskov said. "This is how Russia and other countries react to quite unpredictable actions of the United States and decisions doubtful from the angle of international trade rules and norms. As a result, trust in the dollar is declining, and there is an increasing wish to replace the dollar with other currencies," Peskov said.