Citi, HSBC, JP Morgan and Credit Agricole – war criminals?

The Ukrainian government is accusing four major banks of war crimes for their continued funding of business with Russian fossil fuels. Citi, HSBC, JP Morgan and Crèdit Agricole are lending billions of dollars a year to fossil fuel companies. And lots of those fossil fuel companies are still doing business with Russia. Any business with Russia sends money straight into Putin’s war chest and allows him to continue his illegal war. So banks are helping to fuel Putin’s war crimes, and are therefore complicit in those war crimes, according to the Ukrainian government.

“Everybody who is financing this war criminals, who are doing these terrible things in Ukraine, are also committing war crimes in our logic” – Oleg Ustenko, economic advisor to Zelenskyy

Now, the Ukranian government wants the banks prosecuted for the war crimes alongside Putin himself:

The banks have a long and close relationship with Russia. Most of the banks were featured in the Putin100, the top 100 organisations funding Putin’s invasion through fossil fuels. And HSBC even had shares in Russian fossil fuel companies. The recent sanctions on banks put a stop to most of the bank’s direct business with Russia. But the banks are still funding companies that operate in/with Russia. So money is still getting to Putin.

The banks must end ALL financing of companies that trade Russian oil and gas, and sell shares in Russian fossil fuel companies Gazprom and Rosneft. NOW.