The former president of the European Council Donald Tusk accused some European governments of “disgracing themselves” on Friday after they blocked tougher sanctions on Russia following Vladimir Putin’s assault on Ukraine.
As leaders of Nato were preparing for an emergency summit Friday afternoon, Mr Tusk hit out at Germany, Hungary and Italy for “blocking tough decisions”.
“In this war everything is real: Putin’s madness and cruelty, Ukrainian victims, bombs falling on Kyiv,” Mr Tusk tweeted Friday morning. “Only your sanctions are pretended. Those EU governments, which blocked tough decisions (Germany, Hungary, Italy) have disgraced themselves.”
Mr Tusk’s extraordinary comments suggest sharp divisions between members of the Western alliance in responding to the invasion of Ukraine.
Although Britain, the US and the EU have unveiled what they say are an unprecedented package of sanctions against Russia, Ukraine has urged the West to go much further.
Much of the attention is now focused on whether Russia should be barred from the so-called Swift financial system which enables cross-border payments.
While Britain and the US have pushed to kick Russia out of Swift, some countries, including Germany which is reliant on Russian energy supplies, are worried that it could have serious consequences for their economies.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said on Friday that Britain would like to go further. “We’d like to do the Swift system ... but you know, like so many things, these are international organisations and if not every country wants them to be thrown out of the Swift system, it becomes difficult,” he said.
During the early hours, the EU agreed a further package of sanctions on Russia with European foreign ministers set to meet Friday afternoon to thrash out details.
Having announced a first wave of sanctions earlier this week, the UK also on Thursday unveiled more aimed at disrupting the Russian economy including a freeze on the assets of VTB, Russia’s second-largest bank, and trade restrictions on major Russian defence firms. Britain also targeted five of Mr Putin’s inner circle, including his ex son-in-law Kirill Shamalov.
Despite the calls to throw Russia out of the Swift system, the EU’s ambassador to the UK, Joao Vale de Almeida, defended the moves announced so far.
He told the BBC: “The measures we are taking today will have a huge impact on Russia, it impacts 70 per cent of the banking system. It touched the heart of the state-owned companies that financed the war effort.”
Irish government minister Thomas Byrne confirmed that Ireland had also been pushing to bar Russia from Swift but insisted there was EU unity over sanctions.
He told Irish broadcaster RTE: “The sanctions that have been put in place are extremely broad.
“Having said that, we pushed and will continue to push for the broadest possible sanctions. So yes, the Irish Government has no difficulty whatsoever with the Swift system being sanctioned, and that’s something that we would support.”
Announcing another wave of US sanctions last night US President Joe Biden pointedly played down the need to block Russia from Swift, saying that while it’s “always” still an option, “right now that’s not the position that the rest of Europe wishes to take”.
“The sanctions we’ve imposed exceed Swift,” Mr Biden said. “Let’s have a conversation in another month or so to see if they’re working.”
