Putin says Russia-CIS trade exceeded $110B in 2025

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that trade between Russia and members of the Commonwealth of Independent States exceeded $110 billion in 2025 and rose a further 12% during the first half of 2026. Speaking at a meeting of CIS leaders in Turkmenistan, he called for eliminating trade barriers to improve cooperation among member states. "Is it possible to move even faster? It probably is. What needs to be done for that? Barriers need to be removed," he said.

Cooperation agenda

Putin highlighted that cooperation spans science, education, culture, tourism, health care, environmental protection, sports and youth policy. He stressed the importance of protecting shared history and preventing its falsification, saying young people should understand Soviet-era achievements and their ancestors' contributions during World War II. CIS leaders would adopt a separate statement on preserving historical memory, he added.

Institutional transition

The Russian leader welcomed proposals to designate 2028 as the Year of Social Development and 2029 as the Year of Transport within the bloc, saying joint initiatives could demonstrate the benefits of closer integration. He thanked Turkmenistan for its leadership of the CIS this year and noted that Uzbekistan would assume the bloc's rotating chairmanship on Jan. 1, pledging Moscow's support to Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Putin also invited CIS leaders to an informal gathering in St. Petersburg on Dec. 21 to discuss current and future issues.

Summit participants

The CIS leaders' summit opened with a restricted-format meeting attended by the presidents of Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and CIS Secretary General Sergey Lebedev. Talks continued in an expanded format with the participation of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. A number of agreements were signed after the meeting, according to the Kremlin.