"We have excellent experience with the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant. This is the case when the contract and main deliveries were carried out in dollars, and mutual payments were made in rubles. That is, the mechanisms themselves are already developed, and we do not see any problems at all in this regard," Likhachev told the Rossiya 24 broadcaster.
The decision to switch to rubles should be made by the Russian government, Likhachev added.
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree, stipulating that all contracts for gas supplies with companies registered in "unfriendly" countries be settled in rubles. The measure only concerns Gazprom's pipeline exports, with the company expecting to receive first ruble payments in the second half of April and in May.
Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev suggested to switch to ruble payments in other strategic sectors, including metallurgy, food and agriculture.