Sanctioned Russian banks to be disconnected from SWIFT, but not fully enough

Western countries consider disconnecting Russian banks from the SWIFT international payment system, the German government said, TASS reports.

New restrictions will affect the Russian banks that have been previously added on the list of sanctions. The list of credit institutions can be expanded when needed.

A senior White House official said during a telephone briefing that the European Union continued working on the list of Russian banks that would be disconnected from the SWIFT international system of interbank payments.

According to the official, the banks that have already fallen under the new sanctions will be disconnected from the system in the first place. It is up to the European Union to determine the final list, since SWIFT lies within the jurisdiction of Belgium.

At the same time, the US will try to keep a number of Russian banks in SWIFT. In particular, it goes about the banks that take part in payments for energy supplies. If a payment is made for energy carriers, then it will be exempt from restrictions.