UK PM says first step has been taken to shut Russia out of global financial system – Business & Economy

London, February 27. /TASS/. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson described the decision to disconnect several Russian banks from the SWIFT global interbank system as the first step towards Russia’s exclusion from the global financial system.

“We took decisive action tonight with our international partners to shut Russia out of the global financial system, including the first important step of ejecting Russian banks from SWIFT,” Johnson said in a Twitter post. “We will continue to work together to make sure Putin pays the price for his aggression.”

The European Union, in cooperation with the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, is preparing to disconnect several Russian banks from the international SWIFT system, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Saturday. The countries are also considering freezing the assets of the Russian Central Bank and banning Russian businessmen from using their assets in European markets.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address on February 24 that in response to a request from the heads of the Donbas republics, he had taken the decision to carry out a special military operation in order to protect people “who suffered from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.” The Russian leader stressed that Moscow has no intention of occupying Ukrainian territories. Its goals are the demilitarization and denazification of the country.

After the announcement, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and some other countries announced that they were imposing sanctions on Russian officials and individuals.