Report: Germany may include Sberbank in next sanction round

MOSCOW, Apr 28 (PRIME) -- Germany is ready to consider inclusion of Russia’s top bank Sberbank in the next round of E.U. sanctions, and Sberbank’s disconnection from the SWIFT interbank messaging system, Bloomberg reported on Thursday quoting sources familiar with the matter.

Previously, Germany was very reluctant about sanctions on Sberbank and shutting it off from the SWIFT, while Poland and the Baltic countries insisted on them. Berlin was worried that anti-Sberbank sanctions will hurt the transactions connected to the Russian energy sector, but now Berlin is ready to support a gradual embargo on Russian oil, Bloomberg reported.

Previously, European Commission’s Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis told the Times that the E.U. was working on the sixth round of anti-Russian sanctions that would include some form of an oil embargo.

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