The United States threatened to “press a button” to introduce measures against Sberbank and VTB The United States is ready to impose sanctions in response to the escalation around Ukraine

against the largest Russian financial institutions, the State Department said. The White House explained

The United States, in the event of further escalation in Ukraine, is ready to impose sanctions against any Russian financial institution. State Department spokesman Ned Price stated this at a briefing.

“We are ready to take action against the two largest financial institutions in RUSSIA at the push of a button,” Price said. According to him, the total assets of these banks amount to $750 billion, "this is half of the entire banking system of the country."

Price did not specify which specific banks he was referring to. However, on the eve of Washington’s readiness to “press a button” to introduce measures against large Russian financial institutions, said Deputy Assistant to the President of the United States for National Security Duleep Singh. He explained that this includes Sberbank and VTB.

What do the US sanctions against VEB mean - the main development institution in Russia Finance

On February 22, United States President Joe Biden announced the introduction of restrictions against Russia in connection with the country's recognition of the independence of the DNR and LNR. They affect the sovereign debt of Russia, Promsvyazbank and VEB and more than 40 of their subsidiaries, as well as some Russians. Among them were the son of the DIRECTOR of the FSB and deputy president - chairman of the board of VTB Denis Bortnikov, the son of the former director of the SVR and chairman of the board of Promsvyazbank Pyotr Fradkov, as well as the son of the first deputy HEAD of the presidential administration and general director of VK Vladimir Kiriyenko. The next day, restrictions were imposed against the Nord Stream 2 operator Nord Stream AG 2 and the company's executive director Matthias Warnig.