U.S. presidential residence in Washington DCWASHINGTON, Jan 18 from the SWIFT system in the event of a further escalation of the crisis around Ukraine, Washington's consultations with partners on this matter continue, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday. «None of the options, in our opinion, is possible. We continue to closely consult with our partners on options for tough sanctions in case Russia invades Ukraine,» Psaki said during a regular briefing.Merkel's colleague called Russia's disconnection from SWIFT an atomic bomb for the market On Monday, the German newspaper Handelsblatt, citing government sources, reported that the United States and the European Union ruled out the disconnection of Russian banks from the SWIFT interbank settlement system as an option for possible sanctions, but are considering the possibility of introducing targeted sanctions against Russian banks. However, later, a representative of the US National Security Council said that not a single option was ruled out and that Russian banks could be disconnected from SWIFT in the event of a further escalation of the crisis around Ukraine. Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that the Kremlin considers it premature to talk about the threat of sanctions against Russian banks, as media speculation is «often based on some kind of rumor». To the West, Russia has repeatedly rejected accusations by the West and Ukraine of «aggressive actions», saying that it does not threaten anyone and does not intend to attack anyone, and claims of «Russian aggression» are used as an excuse to place more NATO military equipment near Russian borders. The Russian Foreign Ministry previously noted that Western statements about «Russian aggression» and the possibility of helping Kiev defend itself against it are both ridiculous and dangerous. At the same time, Kiev and Western states have recently expressed concern about the alleged increase in «aggressive actions» sides of Russia near the borders of Ukraine. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is moving troops within its territory and at its own discretion. According to him, this does not threaten anyone and should not worry anyone.
