The United States has announced its readiness to consider reconnecting Russia to SWIFT

The United States admits the possibility of restoring Russian banks' access to the SWIFT international system if it contributes to a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian conflict. This was announced on Wednesday, March 26, by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant.

"Everything is under discussion," Bessent said on the Fox News channel, answering a question about the possible connection of the Russian Federation to the banking system.

At the same time, he stressed that Washington reserves the right to both ease and increase sanctions pressure on Russia, depending on how the settlement process progresses.

VTB CEO Andrey Kostin noted on March 19 that SWIFT is no longer needed by anyone, Russia and other countries have modern payment systems. However, he added that it may be easier for exporters to settle in dollars, so if sanctions are eased, there may be a "rollback to old methods."

In January, Kostin said that only administrative solutions were needed to replace SWIFT. He noted that, taking into account the prospects that open up with the development of the North–South corridor, the SPFS system developed by the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) is becoming increasingly relevant.