Gazprom, Rosneft, Rosoboronexport ready to settle exports in rubles - Kostin
MOSCOW. April 2 (Interfax) - Russia's largest exporters are ready to settle their exports in rubles, thereby lowering the Russian economy's dependence on the dollar, VTB President and CEO Andrei Kostin.
Gazprom , Rosneft and Rosoboronexport export $230 billion in goods a year, Kostin said.
"I spoke with the heads of these companies. They are not against conducting exports in ruble. They simply need to be given the proper mechanism," he said in Moscow on Wednesday at the Association of Russian Banks congress.
The move would enable Russia "to lower its exposure to the caprices of the U.S. and EU," he said.
Russia also needs to create a national payment system as soon as possible, since the lack of one is "inexplicable and illogical," he said. Being dependent on international payment systems, as the events of recent weeks have show, "creates a risk not only for companies, but the public in ordinary life."
Kostin also called for "rejecting senseless schemes for creating universal cards, that include irrelevant payment system functionality. "A maximally simple and inexpensive system" is needed, Kostin said.