Belarus has no immediate plans to adopt Russian currency, its strongman leader Lukashenko says

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarus and Russia have no immediate plans to adopt a joint currency, Belarus’ strongman leader announced on Monday. During talks with the head of Russia’s central bank, Alexander Lukashenko said that introducing the Russian ruble in Belarus would not be “an easy process,” and that the authorities in Minsk had no intentions so far of doing so. Lukashenko has relied on Russian support to survive months of mass protests following the disputed 2020 election, and to keep Belarus’ Soviet-style economy afloat. A Belarusian analyst told AP that Lukashenko’s remarks marked an attempt to “preserve the remnants of [Belarusian] sovereignty” amid rumors of his deteriorating health.