Pressure from unfriendly states ‘practically an aggression’: Putin

Moscow, May 27 (EFE).- Pressure from the West and so-called unfriendly states are “practically an aggression” against Russia, president Vladimir Putin said on Friday.

“Advantages of the integration course are particularly obvious now, in the current difficult international situation, amid practically an aggression from some unfriendly states,” Putin said during a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council.

In his video conference speech, Putin said it was a key priority for Russia to tighten ties with Eurasian Economic Union countries, which include Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

“We are all convinced that tighter integration will make our countries stronger economically and to significantly reduce our dependence on external conjuncture, including the political one,” the Kremlin leader said.

Putin added that his cabinet was making “timely decisions” to ensure the stable functioning of the markets and the financial sector in EAEU and that he supported the extension of the free trade area with Iran.

“We expand the practice of trading in national currencies with states that have proved with action that they are Russia’s reliable partners,” Putin said.

“The share of payments in national currencies in mutual trading between EAEU states has already reached 75%,” he added. EFE

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