St. Petersburg:Turkmenistan Trade between Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) surpassed $110 billion in 2025 and grew by an additional 12% in the first half of 2026, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced during a meeting of CIS leaders.

According to Anadolu Agency, Putin emphasized the importance of eliminating trade barriers to enhance cooperation among CIS countries. He highlighted areas of collaboration, including science, education, culture, tourism, health care, environmental protection, sports, and youth policy.

Putin underscored the significance of protecting the shared history of CIS nations and preventing its distortion, stressing the need for young people to understand the achievements of Soviet-era peoples and their ancestors' contributions during World War II. He mentioned that CIS leaders would issue a separate statement on preserving historical memory and supported proposals to designate 2028 as the Year of Social Development and 2029 as the Year of Transport within the bloc.

He expressed gratitude to Turkmenistan for its leadership of the CIS and announced that Uzbekistan would take over the bloc's rotating chairmanship on January 1. Putin assured support to Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in his upcoming role.

Putin also invited CIS leaders to an informal meeting in St. Petersburg on December 21 to discuss current and future issues. The summit started with a restricted-format meeting attended by the presidents of several CIS countries and continued in an expanded format, including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Several agreements were signed following the discussions, as reported by the Kremlin.