US Secretary of State Antony Blinken commented on the possibility of disconnecting Russia from the SWIFT system if Moscow continues its military escalation against Ukraine.
Kyiv. Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – May 7, 2021 – Diplomatic Affairs
“I do not want to talk about any hypothetical steps we can take in the future. I will say this: when it comes to restraining aggression or responding, we will consider any reasonable option, ”he said.
Blinken stressed that the United States would respond if Russia continued to take aggressive steps against Ukraine or other American partners.
“Not for the sake of escalation, not because we need a conflict, but because such actions cannot go unanswered, cannot go unpunished … But I sincerely hope that Russia understands: we would rather prefer more stable and predictable relationships. But in the end, it depends on Russia – on what it does and what it does not do, “- said the US Secretary of State.
MEPs in plenary on Thursday, April 29, adopted a critical resolution on Russia. The document condemns Russia’s actions against the Czech Republic and Ukraine, as well as the imprisonment of politician Alexei Navalny, who opposes Russian President Vladimir Putin. The European Parliament, in particular, called for the expulsion of Russian diplomats and stop Nord Stream 2, and in the event of an armed Russian invasion of Ukraine, to exclude Russia from the SWIFT payment system and freeze all European assets of oligarchs and their families close to Russia.
SWIFT – an international system for the transfer of information and payments between banks. More than 11,000 large organizations in 200 countries are connected to it.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken paid an official visit to Kyiv on May 5-6. He met with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, MPs and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba, and Prime Minister Denis Shmygal. There was also a meeting with the head of the PCU Epiphanius.
In an interview following the visit, Blinken said that the United States would consider Ukraine’s request to provide Ukraine with new weapons.
Read also: Blinken Meets with People’s Deputies and Kuleba in Kyiv
Source: Ukrgate