Salvo of sanctions against Russia after the invasion of Ukraine
Western countries have imposed numerous sanctions since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, including against Vladimir Putin.
Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, in Geneva, June 16, 2021.
AFP
The invasion of Ukraine launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday sparked a wave of announcements of international sanctions against Moscow, mainly from Western countries.
The European Union has added Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to the list of Russian officials targeted by sanctions. This decision was adopted on Friday at a meeting of EU foreign ministers, decided to endorse the sanctions package adopted Thursday evening by the heads of state and government of the 27.
The list of these sanctions, the toughest ever taken by the EU, according to its head of diplomacy Josep Borrell, provides among other things for drastically limiting Russia’s access to European capital markets. The EU will also reduce Russia’s access to “crucial technologies”, depriving it of electronic components and software.
Extremely rare act
For his part, US President Joe Biden also tightened the measures taken against Russia on Friday, adding, as did the 27 and London, Vladimir Putin and Sergei Lavrov to the list of sanctioned Russian officials, who are now prohibited from traveling on American soil. An extremely rare and highly symbolic act.
The United States will also sanction the “Russian Direct Investment Fund”, a sovereign wealth fund of Russia intended to attract investment into the Russian economy. The first tranche of US sanctions affects four Russian banks, including the country’s two largest, Sberbank and VTB Bank, and more than half of Russia’s tech imports cut.
Energy giant Gazprom and other big companies in the country – 13 in total – for their part will no longer be able to raise money in Western financial markets, a sanction that had already been imposed on the Russian government itself. .
London imitates the EU and Washington
The UK also froze the assets of Vladimir Putin and Sergei Lavrov on Friday. London had previously decided on sanctions targeting the banking sector, technology exports and five businessmen. In addition to five banks already sanctioned on Tuesday, the Russian public banking giant VTB is targeted and sees its assets on British soil frozen, as is the arms manufacturer Rostec.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also decided on sanctions against Vladimir Putin and Sergei Lavrov and indicated that he was in favor of suspending Russia from the international banking payment system, SWIFT. He also announced sanctions against Belarus. In total, about 60 individuals and entities, belonging to the circle of Russian power, including the private security firm Wagner, will be sanctioned.
For its part, Australia increased its sanctions on Saturday by targeting in particular oligarchs and all members of the Russian Parliament, as well as figures in the government of Belarus. Canberra is preparing to personally sanction Vladimir Putin and Sergei Lavrov.
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