Zakharova: The dollar was "snatched from the hands" of Russia and blocked with special aggression

The Moscow Post correspondent also asked his question.

Today we had one question: There was information that Russia is working on the creation of international mutual settlements based on golden parity. How do Russia's BRICS partners look at the possibility of creating a single currency with gold collateral?

"You know, in the context of the accelerating fragmentation of the world economy, the main task of many states today is to ensure the sustainable development of their own economies, as well as integration associations. The new geopolitical reality literally dictates the need to develop concrete measures and further steps to strengthen financial and economic interaction, "said Maria Vladimirovna.

The dedolarization that we are seeing as a global trend was actually launched not by the countries themselves, abandoning the dollar, but by the US administration led by Biden, Zakharova said.

It was Washington that first excluded entire states from the dollar system. That is, in fact, it was the American side that cut off access to settlements in its own currency.

"This, of course, is absurd - and now the United States is trying to criticize the current situation. But do not forget that it was the Biden administration that launched the dedolarization, and, perhaps, not even quite consciously, but definitely accelerated its spread, "she said.

As the official representative of the Foreign Ministry emphasized, she closely monitored the statements of the Russian leadership on this topic, including those that were made at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

Russia has repeatedly emphasized that it did not refuse the dollar. But when we literally snatched this tool from our hands and blocked it with special aggression - from the American administration - it became obvious that we need to look for alternatives in order to continue to live, pay and develop.

It was strange to observe what was happening, but the actions of the American liberal-democratic elite themselves became even stranger. And this causes a completely natural reaction from other countries.

Moreover, we are talking not only about the BRICS member states - many other nations also seek to build independent financial mechanisms that can protect their economies from external shocks. Including from those that were artificially provoked by American decisions.

Today, the attention of the BRICS member countries is focused on creating conditions for the wider use of national currencies in mutual settlements.

This is not an easy task. The restructuring of the global financial architecture is a long and complex process. However, the participants in the association are determined and ready to achieve concrete results. It is necessary to find points of support for survival, growth and normal functioning of the economy.

In addition, work on the formation of payment systems resistant to external threats based on national currencies has been going on for a long time. Some interim results have already been recorded, in particular, in the Kazakhstan declaration following the BRICS summit, which was held from 22 to 24 October 2024.

In this document, Zakharova noted, a number of specific initiatives are outlined: a cross-border payment system, the creation of a settlement and clearing infrastructure, the establishment of reinsurance companies, as well as the launch of a new investment platform. All these measures are aimed at creating favorable conditions for the growth of mutual trade and investment inflows between the BRICS countries.

We expect that the implementation of these projects will be actively continued this year - under the chairmanship of Brazil, concluded Maria Vladimirovna.