The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry called the package of sanctions against Russia a “powerful bomb” even without SWIFT

Disabling Russia from the SWIFT payment system is not included in the package of Western sanctions in the event of an “invasion” of Ukraine. This, according to RBC, was announced on the air of the TV channel “1 + 1” by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmitry Kuleba.

“SWIFT, as of now, is indeed not part of the sanctions package, but this is not the result of Russian pressure. But let’s be clear, if this package had SWIFT, it would be an atomic bomb. But even without SWIFT in the package, this package remains a very powerful bomb of economic influence on Russia,” he said.

Earlier, Reuters reported that the United States and the European Union refused to include in the package of sanctions against Russia disconnection from the SWIFT interbank payment system. According to the source of the agency, this measure was no longer considered after the objections of European countries, which indicated that disconnecting the Russian Federation from SWIFT “would not benefit anyone.” Most likely, in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, sanctions will be imposed against large Russian banks, as well as a number of oligarchs. In addition, the West intends to limit Russian exports in the field of defense and technology.

The media reported that US President Joe Biden, in a conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, made it clear that Russia “will receive a decisive response and face serious costs” from Washington and its partners in the event of an escalation of the situation around Ukraine. Biden stressed that “a Russian invasion of Ukraine would lead to massive human suffering and weaken Russia’s position.”