Russia’s return to SWIFT is possible: US Democrats demand explanations from the Ministry of Finance
29 June 12:15
The leading Democratic senator on the US Senate Finance Committee, Ron Wyden, has called on Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant to enforce sanctions against Russia and explain his comments about Moscow’s return to the SWIFT payment system.
According to "Komersant Ukrainian", this was reported by Reuters.
In a letter to the head of the Ministry of Finance, Wyden also asked how the US-Ukraine rare earth metals agreement and investment agreement will help improve Ukraine’s post-war security and will not benefit any organization or country that helped Russia in its aggressive war.
Wyden recalled how Bessent said during his confirmation hearing that he was ready to increase sanctions against Russia, including against oil companies, if asked by US President Donald Trump to help end the war in Ukraine, which the Treasury Secretary called “one of the greatest tragedies” of his adult life.
“I am asking you to reaffirm your commitment to strict enforcement of these sanctions and to respond to questions about how you see other measures being taken by this administration, including agreements with Ukraine, that could potentially work in conjunction with these sanctions,” Wyden wrote.
He also asked Bessent to explain his comments to Fox News, in which the Treasury Secretary did not rule out Russia’s return to the SWIFT international banking system.
“Will the U.S. Treasury Department allow Russian banks to rejoin SWIFT in the absence of a comprehensive peace agreement with Ukraine that would fully address Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine?” Wyden asked.
The Democratic representative also asked whether Bessent would continue to fulfill the commitments of the G7 leaders to limit Russia’s use of the international financial system to support its war against Ukraine, which were undertaken by the US Treasury.
