The EU and the US have abandoned the sanction option of disconnecting Russia from SWIFT,

the Handelsblatt newspaper reported on Monday. According to the publication, the possibility of disconnecting Russian banks from SWIFT was too painful for the initiators of possible new sanctions. Thus, the implementation of such a sanctions package would destabilize global financial markets in the short term and contribute to creating an alternative payment system without the dominance of Western countries, explains Handelsblatt. At the same time, in connection with the situation around Ukraine, the EU and the US are considering the possibility of targeted sanctions against the largest Russian banks. In addition, the newspaper adds that Germany insists on exemptions from sanctions so that it can continue to pay for oil and gas imports from Russia.