Russian rouble, stocks surge after Trump-Putin call

MOSCOW, Feb 13 (Reuters) - The Russian rouble and stocks surged on Thursday after a telephone conversation between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in which the two leaders discussed ways to end the Ukraine war.

At 0745 GMT, the rouble RUB= was up 3% at 90.90 against the dollar, the highest level for the Russian currency since September 2024, according to data from the over-the-counter market.

The rouble briefly touched the level of 89.90, the highest since September 11, during the trading session.

The rouble strengthened 2.6% against the dollar in the previous session and is up 20% since the start of the year. The Moscow Exchange (MOEX) index surged 5.8% on Wednesday and another 4.2% on Thursday.

"The moment investors have been waiting for has arrived. The next step towards easing geopolitical tensions," Sinara brokerage analysts said.

Russia's sanctioned corporations such as gas giant Gazprom, whose shares were hit by losing the European gas market, dominant lender Sberbank and liquefied natural gas producer Novatek led the market rally.

Foreign investors cannot buy assets at MOEX due to Western sanctions, imposed in 2024. Due to sanctions, all trade in dollars and euros have moved to the over-the-counter market, making China's yuan the most traded foreign currency.