It is too early to talk about creating a single BRICS currency, and there is no such goal, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club on Thursday.
"I have heard a lot ... they say that we need to think about creating a single currency. It is too early to talk about this. We do not have such goals among ourselves," Putin said.
Two-thirds of Russia's trade is conducted in national currencies, the president said, adding that trade with BRICS countries in national currencies has already reached 88%.
"We are not fighting; our proposal is not aimed at fighting the dollar. We are simply thinking about creating new instruments in response to the challenges of the times, in response to new trends in the development of the global economy," Putin noted.
Earlier, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov told RT Arabic that the idea of creating a single BRICS currency is not being discussed at the moment. He underscored that BRICS member countries try to create an alternative financial settlement and payment system where national currencies would be used.