PARIS: An exclusion from SWIFT, a very discreet but important cog in the machinery of international finance, is one of the most disruptive of the possible sanctions that the West could deploy against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Thursday for such a move after Russian forces invaded his country, as Western powers consider imposing additional sanctions on Moscow.
The White House has pointedly refused in recent weeks to exclude the possibility of barring Russia from the international system that banks use to transfer money, a move that would cripple Russia’s ability to trade with most of the world.
European leaders were expected to discuss the…
