“I think Russian financial institutions and other market participants understand that without Russia’s ability to protect its currency, it will fall into free fall,” RIA Novosti quotes a White House spokesman.
He added that freezing the assets of the Central Bank of Russia is not the only measure that the West has applied against the regulator - other steps may follow in the future.
The German Cabinet, following the results of negotiations between Western leaders, previously stated that Russian banks that fell under the sanctions of the international community, and, if necessary, other credit organizations from Russia, would be excluded from the international SWIFT system.
The statement said that these measures are aimed at isolating Russian institutions from international financial flows in order to limit their global activities.
In addition, the US, EU, UK and Canada have agreed to introduce restrictive measures against the Central Bank of Russia.