The ice is melting. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said he supported the European Central Bank’s attempt to push the Austrian bank Raiffeisen to exit Russia — and called for possible penalties if it doesn’t.
“Raiffeisen International is still doing business in Moscow, in Russia, is making money and is paying money to the Russian budget at the same time,” Morawiecki said at the European Summit, writes Politico.
“There should be set a date in [the] not so distant future” for companies “to stop doing” business in Russia, he added. “And if not, some sanctions or some actions should be triggered.”
B4Ukraine applauds PM Morawiecki’s stance regarding the issue of international companies’ continued presence in Russia and their role in enabling Russia’s unconscionable war against the people of Ukraine. One year into the war, and more than 1600 companies who were doing business with Russia at the start of the war, continue their activity.
More EU leaders should recognize this problem and use all economic and political tools to call on multinationals to leave the aggressor state voluntarily as soon as possible.
We urge the EU, G7 governments and their economic agencies to use all available powers not to support trade and investment activity with Russia, including withholding public money from companies which continue doing business with Russia.
The ongoing corporate complicity in Russian aggression and crimes against humanity must be stopped. Access to the economic resources behind Russian aggression must be blocked.
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