In order to prevent other countries from interfering in their national affairs, Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) to rely more on national currencies in trade.

Speaking at a summit of CIS leaders in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyz on Friday, President Putin said, “The creation of a sustainable financial infrastructure that is independent of external influence, as well as the wider use of national currencies in mutual settlements, are important tools for a further increase in trade operations and investment flows.”

He added that Russia would contribute to the efforts of its allied states to expand the use of national currencies in cross-border trade “in every possible way,” by assisting financial and economic institutions and central banks of member countries to make the transition.

The push to move away from the use of the US dollar in settlement of cross-border trade obligations, and toward the use of national currencies, began gaining momentum following the imposition of sweeping trade sanctions on Russia as a response to the conflict in Ukraine. The measures shut Russia out of Western financial mechanisms for settling trade, negatively impacting its economy and forcing it to adapt. This triggered concerns among other nations that one wrong political move which displeased the West could result in their cross border trade being brought to a sudden halt, and their economies crumbling. As a result, developing alternative means of settling trade obligations by moving away from the dollar and euro has begun to be seen as a vital means of securing a nation’s geopolitical autonomy.

The CIS is a regional trade organization which includes Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.