Ukraine has asked Russia to switch to rubles for payments for energy products supplied to the ex-Soviet republic, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.
"The ruble is getting increasingly stronger in former Soviet republics. Today our Ukrainian partners are requesting us to switch to settlements in rubles for energy products," Putin said in his annual address to parliament.
"I hope we'll be strengthening the national currency to make it a reserve currency for the region," Putin said.
Putin said that 80 percent of cashless payments with Belarus were made in Russian rubles.
MOSCOW, April 20 (RIA Novosti)
