The United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada agreed on Saturday to remove some Russian banks from the SWIFT interbank system. The measure is part of the new package of sanctions approved against Russia in response to its special military operation, launched early this Thursday by Vladimir Putin, for the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine.
“First of all, we are committed to ensuring that a certain number of Russian banks are removed from SWIFT. It will prevent them from operating worldwide and effectively block Russian exports and imports,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. .
In parallel, a joint statement was issued by the leaders of the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States, published on the official website of the White House, which indicates that “as Russian forces unleash their assault on Kiev and other Ukrainian cities, we are determined to continue to impose costs on Russia that will further isolate Russia from the international financial system and our economies.”
Likewise, the statement encompasses the measures included in the new package of sanctions, which will be implemented “in the coming days”:
-Remove “selected Russian banks” from the SWIFT interbank system. “This will ensure that these banks are disconnected from the international financial system and harm their ability to operate globally,” the statement read.
-Impose “restrictive measures” that prevent the Central Bank of Russia from “deploying its international reserves in a way that undermines the impact of our sanctions.”
-Act against “people and entities that facilitate the war in Ukraine and the harmful activities of the Russian government.” Specifically, the measure refers to the acquisition of “so-called golden passports, which allow wealthy Russians connected to the Russian government to become citizens of our countries and gain access to our financial systems.”
