the The US government could dramatically tighten its new sanctions against Russia, according to a senior White House official. The financial sanctions against two Russian state banks, which together have total assets of around $85 billion, are just the beginning, the official said on Tuesday. If Russia continues to act against Ukraine, “no Russian financial institution is safe”, he warned. Even the largest Russian banks such as Sberbank and VTB, which together manage around 750 billion dollars, could then be excluded from western capital markets in coordination with the EU partners.
Regarding Moscow’s actions in eastern Ukraine, the official said: “This is the beginning of an invasion and this is the beginning of our response.” Introduce export controls, he said. The official emphasized that Russia could still be excluded from the Swift international payment system in the event of an escalation. First of all, however, they are relying on measures that hit Russia just as hard and have fewer disadvantages for third parties.