Russian President Putin calls for measures to strengthen national currency ruble

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin has asked the government to consider measures needed to strengthen the national currency, the ruble, the president's official website said Wednesday.

During a meeting Tuesday with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Putin said there was a definite strengthening of the currency recently.

"The ruble has strengthened despite the price volatility in commodity markets," he said. "In this regard, we certainly need to think about how and what we will be doing in the near future in connection with these factors," he added.

The authorities have taken a series of measures this year to support the real sector of the economy, including small- and medium-sized businesses and non-oil exports.

The ruble strengthened to around 63.40 against the U.S. dollar in June, the best rate since November.