To exclude some Russian banks from SWIFT - US and Europe announced

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

ＳＷＩＦＴからロシアの一部銀行を排除、米欧が発表

2022.02.27 Sun posted at 10:47 JST

  （ＣＮＮ） 米欧は２６日夜、ロシアの一部の銀行を国際決済ネットワークの国際銀行間通信協会（ＳＷＩＦＴ＝スイフト）から排除する金融制裁を発表した。

米国と欧州委員会、フランス、ドイツ、イタリア、英国、カナダが共同声明を出した。

各国はこの中で、ロシアのプーチン大統領に「この戦争は戦略的な失敗であること」を共同で思い知らせると表明。対象の銀行は国際金融システムから締め出され、国際的な業務能力が損なわれると説明した。

ロシアの中央銀行や同国の富裕層が制裁の影響を抑えようとする動きも制限するという。

詳細は現在検討中とされ、具体的な手続きや銀行名は公表されなかった。

ＳＷＩＦＴからの排除は、金融面の最終手段である「核オプション」と呼ばれてきた。バイデン米大統領は２４日の時点で、欧州が発動を望んでいないと述べていた。

背景にはロシアからのエネルギー輸入に依存する欧州諸国の事情があるものの、事態の深刻化を受けて、各国とも支持姿勢に転じた。

声明によると、米欧は来週、ロシアの個人や企業に対する資産凍結を徹底するための作業部会を設置する。偽情報への対応も強化する。今後ロシアに対し、さらなる追加制裁を科す用意があるとも表明している。

Translation

  (CNN) On the night of the 26th, the United States and Europe announced financial sanctions to exclude some Russian banks from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) of the international payment network.

The United States, the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Canada had issued a joint statement.

In the statement these countries said that they jointly remind Russian President Vladimir Putin that "this war is a strategic failure." It explained that the target banks would be locked out of the international financial system and their international operating capacity would be impaired.

They would also limit the efforts of the Central Bank of Russia and the wealthy people of the country to trying to cut down the effects of sanctions.

Details were currently under consideration, and no specific procedure or bank name was disclosed.

Exclusion from SWIFT had been called the "nuclear option" as a financial last resort. US President Joe Biden as of the 24th said that Europe did not want it to be activated.

In the background, there were circumstances in European countries that they depended on energy imports from Russia, but as the situation worsens, all countries had turned to give support.

According to the statement, the US and Europe would set up a working group next week to ensure a deep asset freeze on Russian individuals and businesses. They would also strengthen their response to false information. It was also stated that they were ready to impose additional sanctions on Russia in the future.

              So, the US and Europe have announced financial sanctions to exclude some Russian banks from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) so as to pressurize Russian President Vladimir Putin. I hope this would wake up Putin’s supporters to say no to his aggression over Ukraine.