The United States steps up its sanctions by freezing the assets of the Russian Central Bank

The measures represent a significant escalation of US sanctions, although the Treasury has said it will make an exception to ensure transactions related to Russian energy exports can continue. It issues a “general license” to authorize certain energy-related transactions with the Central Bank of Russia.

The European Commission, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the United States said on Saturday they would remove a number of Russian banks from the SWIFT financial messaging system, preventing them from carrying out international transactions, and would impose new restrictions. on the Russian central bank to prevent them from using their huge international reserves to evade sanctions.

Russia has spent the past few years bolstering its sanctions defenses and amassed $643 billion in foreign exchange reserves, in part from shifting oil and gas revenues. The new restrictions imposed by the United States and its allies on the sale of the ruble to Russia aim to undermine the country’s ability to support its currency in the face of new sanctions against its financial sector.