The UK is discussing with the United States the possibility of disconnecting Russia from the SWIFT international interbank system. This was announced on January 25 during a speech in Parliament by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
“As for the question of SWIFT and international financial transactions, then, no doubt, this would be a very effective weapon, but it can only be used with the help of the United States. We are discussing this topic, ”he said on Sky News.
As Johnson added, London should use all available international platforms for dialogue with Moscow.
On January 24, Professor of International Relations at Hamilton College (USA) Alan Kafruni said that Russia’s disconnection from SWIFT could inadvertently hit Europe and at the same time significantly strengthen Russian-Chinese relations. In his opinion, Western sanctions will be either limited or calibrated depending on the scale of Russia’s actions against Ukraine.
A day earlier, the head of the Russian delegation at the talks in Vienna on military security and arms control, Konstantin Gavrilov, said that it was de facto impossible to disconnect Russia from the SWIFT international interbank system.
As The Daily Telegraph reported last week, the UK government is considering disabling Russia from SWIFT in the event of a hypothetical country invasion of Ukraine.
On January 23, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the West is trying to prepare the information space for a number of major provocations. According to her, it is extremely important for the collective West, for NATO, for the Anglo-Saxons to create an information field, because without it they cannot act.
On January 18, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged people not to be guided by the information spread in foreign media that the European Union and the United States are considering imposing sanctions against Russian banks. As Peskov recalled, plans were previously discussed to disconnect Russia from SWIFT, but they were not implemented.
On January 12, a group of Democratic senators in the United States presented a bill providing for the introduction of new sanctions against Russia in case the situation around Ukraine worsens. According to The Washington Post, the sanctions will target specific individuals from government and military circles. They will affect the banking sector and the SWIFT system. The White House supports the bill on sanctions against the Russian Federation, the newspaper wrote.
In the Western media, articles have repeatedly appeared about the allegedly possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. Against this background, American lawmakers are calling for tougher sanctions against Moscow. Russia has repeatedly rejected these data.
Peskov noted that there are a lot of rumors and unreliable data about the situation in Ukraine and the allegedly planned attack by Russia, which are “information hysteria.” He stressed that the actions of Washington and NATO lead to an escalation of tension in Ukraine.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
