Leaked letter from US ambassador to UN warns of ‘human rights catastrophe’ in event of invasion
, journalists and anti-corruption activists, and vulnerable populations such as religious and ethnic minorities and LGBTQI+ persons”.
The letter emerged after the latest flurry of diplomacy, which saw Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin approve in principle the idea of a summit between the two leaders, aimed at de-escalating the Ukraine crisis. The step – conditional on Russia not invading Ukraine – was, after calls on Sunday night with the two leaders. A format for the meeting is to be decided at a meeting between secretary of state Antony Blinken and foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday.
Further details also emerged of US sanctions plans, with Reuters reporting that the US intends to bar US financial institutions from processions transactions for major Russian banks in the event of an invasion. The report, which cites three sources, said the measures aim to hurt the Russian economy by cutting the “correspondent” banking relationships between targeted Russian banks and US banks that enable international payments.
While the threat of sanctions had already been floated, the plan to cut correspondent banking ties, which underpin global money flows, had not been previously reported.
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