Germany open to cutting Russia off SWIFT but must weigh consequences - fin min

Germany is open to cutting Russia off the SWIFT global interbank payment system but must calculate the consequences for its economy first, Finance Minister Christian Lindner said on Friday. "We are open, but you have to know what you're doing," Lindner told journalists after a meeting of the European Economic and Financial Affairs Council in Paris to discuss sanctions against Moscow after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Lindner said Europe must step up its sanctions against Russia, adding that the sanctions should include President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.