On January 29, the foreign ministers of the European Union member states decided to add Russia to the “blacklist” of states with a high risk of money laundering operations.
This was stated by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaia Kallas, during a press conference following the meeting of the EU Council on Foreign Affairs in Brussels, a correspondent for Suspilny reports.
She explained that adding Russia to the “blacklist” will slow down and increase the costs of transactions with Russian banks, as it places additional requirements on European financial institutions to strengthen control over any transactions with countries included in this list.
The head of European diplomacy also assured that “work is progressing” on providing Ukraine with a 90 billion euro loan and the 20th package of anti-Russian sanctions, which, according to her, is planned to be approved by the fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion, on February 24.
Without disclosing details of the planned sanctions, Kallas explained that a complete ban on maritime transport services, as well as restrictions in the energy sector and fertilizers, is being worked out.
In addition, there is also a proposal to ban Russian combatants from entering the Schengen area, as this poses a security threat.
“Many EU member states supported this,” Kallas added, noting that the ministers agreed to continue considering this proposal and to check the further reaction of EU member states.
In February 2023, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) indefinitely suspended Russia's membership in the organization, but has not yet added it to its “blacklist,” despite calls from the Ukrainian government. At the same time, MEPs have repeatedly called on the European Commission to do what the FATF has failed to do. Thus, the EC decided to act independently and include Russia on the “blacklist” independently of the organization.