Boris Johnson presses for Russia to be removed from the Swift system
21:17
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is pushing hard to remove Russia from Swift's international payment system, which would be a serious blow to the country's banks and its ability to trade across borders, writes the Financial Times.
Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, warned Johnson on Thursday that his country would not support such a drastic move, nor the EU would say officials familiar with the details of the sanctions negotiations. A German official declined to comment, merely saying that "all options are still valid.”
Boris Johnson has faced criticism in the UK for introducing what some commentators have described as "penny" sanctions in response to the first stage of Russian aggression in Ukraine. Now the British prime minister is trying to persuade his Western colleagues to use very harsh retaliation measures.
Downing Street has admitted, however, that any move in the Swift case can only be made with international consent, which is shared by the Biden administration.
"We have to do it together," said a British official.
