The first EU sanctions came into force on Wednesday evening against Moscow in response to Monday’s recognition of the independence of separatist territories in eastern Ukraine. But as Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, with airstrikes and ground forces entering from several directions, new nations, led by Australia, announced a second round of sanctions.
To coordinate their response, Westerners will meet in a virtual G7 this Thursday at 3 p.m., during a European summit scheduled for 8 p.m. in Brussels and on the occasion of a NATO summit by videoconference Friday morning. 20 minutes make the point.
Australia attacks Russian banks
Australia announced early Thursday morning a “second round” of sanctions against Russia, following its attack on Ukraine, paving the way for many countries to take further action against from Moscow. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison condemned the “illegal invasion” of Russia by announcing sanctions against four financial institutions and 25 people belonging to four entities in charge of the development and sale of military technologies and equipment. weapons. In the process, in Moscow, Sberbank fell by 38.85%, VTB Bank by 37%. In Vienna, Raiffeisen lost 15.50% and in Milan Unicredit yielded 8.67%.
The United States could sanction Vladimir Putin himself
Joe Biden is to address Americans this Thursday evening and announce massive retaliation against the Russian economy. Joe Biden, who gathered his national security advisers in the famous “Situation Room” on Thursday morning, must speak on Thursday on the “consequences” for Russia of this announcement – at midday local time, according to the White House. He will have previously met with his G7 counterparts. Joe Biden has promised that “the world will hold (it) to account” from Moscow.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki unveiled several other avenues of sanctions on Wednesday: “there are other financial institutions, for example the two largest Russian banks, which are not part of” the sanctions already announced. In this case Sberbank and VTB Bank, two establishments which together hold 750 billion dollars in assets, half of the Russian banking system.
The American president has, moreover, already made it known that he does not rule out financially sanctioning Vladimir Putin himself, and that he is also considering banning the export of American technologies to Russia. Finally, the United States has also hinted that it could cut off Russia’s access to transactions in dollars, the queen currency of world trade.
UK promises ‘massive’ sanctions
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned on Thursday that the West would impose “massive” sanctions targeting the Russian economy. “Diplomatically, politically, economically and, ultimately, militarily, this atrocious and barbaric undertaking by Vladimir Putin must end in failure,” the head of government said in a televised address to Britons. “We cannot, and we will not, look away.”
“For that, we also need to collectively end the reliance on Russian oil and gas that for too long has allowed Putin to exert his grip on Western politics,” he added. .
The Czech Republic attacks “the network of transactions”
Czech President Milos Zeman called the Russian invasion of Ukraine an “unprovoked act of aggression”, saying “the madman must be isolated”. Milos Zeman notably wished in the wake of the financial sanctions, mentioning the Swift interbank network, “which would eliminate Russia from the transaction network”. The Czech Republic appears with the United States on the “list of unfriendly states” drawn up by the Kremlin, following revelations in April 2021 on the involvement of Russian services in explosions that occurred in an ammunition depot on its soil in 2014.
Germany wants to limit market access
The sanctions that Western countries are preparing to take against Russia “will considerably limit” its access to European and American markets, the German Minister of Economy and Climate warned on Thursday. These measures will “decouple” the Russian economy from a number of industrial activities, “freeze the financial assets” of the country and finally “considerably limit access to European and American markets”, Robert Habeck declared during a conference of hurry.
For its part, the German football club Schalke (D2) has decided to remove the name and logo of the Russian gas supplier Gazprom, its main sponsor, from its shirts following the attack by Russia against Ukraine. Schalke is a historic club in the Ruhr area, several times national champion in the 20th century, but currently struggling to try to move up to the first division.
Emmanuel Macron promises sanctions “without weakness”
Emmanuel Macron promised that France and its allies will decide on sanctions “without weakness” against Russia, both “on the military and economic level as well as in the field of energy”, during a speech recorded at the ‘Elysium.
The Elysée clarified that the “military” measures of which the Head of State spoke meant the sending of additional troops to Romania under the aegis of NATO, which will be the subject of discussions at a summit. NATO on Friday. “To this act of war, we will respond without weakness” during the decisions that will be taken during the G7 and the European Council on Thursday evening, added the President of the Republic, who was speaking with the Ukrainian flag in the background, to the sides of the French and European flags.
Canada will continue its momentum
The actions decided by Russian President Vladimir Putin “will have serious consequences”, continues Justin Trudeau, who will meet with the G7 and NATO countries to “provide a collective response to these irresponsible and dangerous acts, in particular by the imposition of significant additional sanctions.
On Tuesday, his government had already announced, in the wake of Westerners, a “series of economic sanctions” against Russia: a ban on transactions with pro-Russian separatist territories, sanctions against Russian parliamentarians and banks and a ban on Canadians buying Russian debt.
On the EU side
The Kremlin will have to “account” and sanctions with “massive consequences” against Moscow will be examined Thursday evening at 8 p.m. during the summit of the Twenty-Seven with a view to “rapid adoption”. “The Russian leaders will have to face unprecedented isolation,” Josep Borrell, EU foreign minister, told the press in Brussels, stressing that the Twenty-Seven were preparing a new set of sanctions which is the “ severest ever implemented”.
Entering into force on Wednesday evening, the first EU sanctions hit a total of 23 “leading figures”, including Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russian military leaders (air, land, sea), as well as three banks, a company and 351 members of the Duma (travel ban and an asset freeze in the EU). A “restriction” of the financing capacities of the Russian authorities and Central Bank has also been introduced, by limiting their “access to European financial and capital markets”, which will penalize the refinancing of Russian debt.