ST. PETERSBURG, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) are increasingly using their own financial instruments for banking operations independent of foreign systems, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday.

Speaking at an informal meeting of CIS heads of state in St. Petersburg, Putin said cooperation among CIS countries in the monetary and financial sphere is expanding, with domestically developed payment instruments being used more actively to service mutual economic transactions.

Putin noted that the share of national currencies in settlements for commercial transactions among CIS member states has already exceeded 96 percent, reflecting deeper financial integration within the bloc.

He added that trade turnover between Russia and other CIS countries reached nearly 90 billion U.S. dollars in the first 10 months of 2025, calling the overall development of multilateral cooperation among the countries successful.

The informal summit was attended by leaders of CIS countries, including Russian President Putin, Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Enditem