Lindner: Putin's war chest "hit hard"

Created: 03/01/2022, 17:38

Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) assumes that the "tension" with Russia will last longer.

© Kay Nietfeld/dpa

Finance Minister Christian Lindner is satisfied: the sanctions against the Russian central bank are working.

The ruble is in free fall.

According to Finance Minister Christian Lindner, the West's sanctions against the Russian central bank have already exceeded expectations after just a few days.

“The ruble is in free fall.

Vladimir Putin's war chest has been hit hard," said the FDP politician on Tuesday after talks between the G7 finance ministers.

"This measure has less of an impact on us, but maximum impact on Russia." On Monday night, the EU banned transactions with the Russian central bank and frozen all of the central bank's assets in the EU.

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The announcement of the exclusion of Russian banks from the Swift financial communication system also had a massive impact on the Russian capital market, said Lindner.

Any further sanctions would focus on "maximizing the damage to the Russian economy, Putin's supporters and Russian capital markets."

However, care is taken to ensure that there are no counter-effects that weaken the alliance partners' ability to sustain themselves.

"Because we have to be prepared for the fact that this tension, which started with a war of aggression that violates international law, lasts longer." dpa