The European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States are imposing restrictions on Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The Russian Foreign Ministry considers these measures to be evidence of impotence.
Sanctions against Putin and Lavrov
The Foreign Ministers of the EU countries have included Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the sanctions list. The restrictions include an asset freeze, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said.“We put President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov on the list today,” he announced at a press conference.
It soon became known that the UK also imposed sanctions against the Russian leader and the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry. According to information released by the British Foreign Office, the restrictions include an asset freeze.
Later, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at a briefing that the United States is joining its allies in also imposing sanctions against Putin, Lavrov and members of the Russian Security Council. Restrictions on the President of the Russian Federation may include a "travel ban".
“Neither Putin nor Lavrov has accounts in Britain or anywhere abroad. Maybe the government of the Kingdom did not freeze, but froze something? - commented on the new sanctions, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, in her Telegram channel.
She said live on Channel One that “the sanctions against the President of the country and the Minister of Foreign Affairs are an example and a demonstration of absolute impotence.”
Earlier, the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov said that the head of state keeps money in the Rossiya Bank, which is already under sanctions.
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Plans to disconnect the Russian Federation from SWIFT
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Borrell admitted a possible disconnection of Russia from SWIFT in the future. However, he clarified that it is not worth waiting for the third package of EU sanctions against Russia in the coming days.“This issue (disconnecting from SWIFT - ed.) was considered, but at the moment it has not received the necessary unanimous support. This was not included in the package (EU sanctions against the Russian Federation -), but there is an opportunity to save this topic for future discussions, ”said the head of EU diplomacy.
According to him, no options for sanctions "are outside the scope of discussion."
“We are exploring all the possibilities, they will be taken depending on the behavior of Russia and the possibility of taking more restrictive measures,” he said.
In turn, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called on NATO leaders to take immediate action on SWIFT against Russia.
"The Prime Minister called on leaders to take immediate action against SWIFT to inflict maximum pain on President Putin and his regime," Downing Street said in a statement.
In addition, Johnson said that the UK is ready for any request from NATO's Supreme Commander for military support.
“The Prime Minister outlined the details of the UK's new NATO proposal on the eastern flank. The UK stands ready for any further request from the NATO Supreme Commander for Europe for further military support for NATO from the British Armed Forces, he said. NATO must be of paramount importance in the future of European security, and it is vital that it be strengthened now,” the press service of the British Prime Minister explained.
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On February 24, Russia launched an operation to denazify and demilitarize Ukraine. On the same day, Western countries, regarding the actions of the Russian Federation as an invasion, published the first package of sanctions. It mainly affected the banking sector, big businessmen and government officials.
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