Bloomberg found out the reason for the reluctance of the EU countries to disconnect Russia from

Proposals to disconnect RUSSIA from the international interbank system for transmitting information and making payments SWIFT were discussed by the leadership of EU countries, BLOOMBERG reports citing its source.

An unnamed EU official told the news agency that some of the European leaders tried to convince their colleagues to include a cut-off from SWIFT in the second package of sanctions, but the proposal did not pass, as the authorities of Germany, France and Italy opposed it.

The reason for the refusal, the interlocutor of Bloomberg called the fears of the authorities of these countries that the disconnection of Russia from SWIFT will hit their own economies, making it difficult to make payments for the supply of Russian oil and gas.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said that the EU countries have not yet been able to come to a consensus on Russia's disconnection from SWIFT. However, such a measure remains possible in the future, Borrell added.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock said that shutting down Russia would mean that ordinary Europeans would be unable to send money to their relatives in Russia, REUTERS reports. In turn, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said that his country would support the proposal to disconnect Russia from SWIFT if the EU comes to an agreement on this issue.