Zelensky and NBU demanded that Visa and MasterCard stop servicing cards issued by Russian banks

The President of Ukraine and the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) appealed to the international payment systems Visa and MasterCard with demands to stop servicing payment cards issued by Russian resident banks, Interfax-Ukraine reports.

“We consider it unacceptable that financial support for armed aggression against our state be provided through cards of the international payment systems Visa and MasterCard,” the press service quoted the head of the National Bank, Kirill Shevchenko, as saying.

Recall, on February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin made an emergency appeal to the Russians and announced a special military operation in the Donbass. In his speech, he stated that “circumstances require decisive action from Russia” and stressed that “Russia will not allow Ukraine to have nuclear weapons.”

In response to Russia’s actions, Western countries (USA, Canada, European Union, Great Britain, Japan) announced new, tougher sanctions against the Russian Federation, including financial and economic ones.

Sanctions, in particular, hit Russian banks, including Sberbank, VTB, Novikombank, FC Otkritie and Sovcombank.

Later, the EU countries and the United States agreed to disconnect Russian banks that fell under sanctions from the international system of interbank transactions and information exchange SWIFT. In addition, it was decided to freeze the assets of the Bank of Russia, which will create difficulties for its use of international reserves. EU countries also pledged to take steps to limit the sale of citizenship — the so-called “golden passports” that allow wealthy Russians connected to the Russian government to become citizens of EU states and access their financial systems.

You can follow the chronicle of events around Ukraine on February 27 here.