On March 20, Russian President Vladimir Putin, while on a visit to Astana, Kazakhstan, said that Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan—the three main founding members of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), and formerly Eurasian Customs Union—should consider creating a monetary union. As Putin argued, “working shoulder to shoulder, it would be easier for us to respond to external financial and economic threats and protect our joint markets” (Lentra.ru, March 20). A few days earlier, Putin instructed the Central Bank of Russia and the Russian government to, by September 1, 2015, outline the future direction of monetary and financial integration in the …read more
Source: The Jamestown Foundation