O’Brien says Cyprus expected to act in unison with EU on Russian sanctions

The Government expects all EU states to conform to the joint position on sanctions which the bloc adopted against Russia, Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien has said.

Speaking in Bray, Co Wicklow, where he opened a new 208-home development for Co-operative Housing Ireland, Mr O’Brien said it was “very clear” what the stance of any European state should be in relation to Russian money “be it legal or illegal”.

Mr O’Brien was commenting on reports of leaked documents, mainly from financial services companies based in EU Cyprus, that show the extent of that country’s dealings with wealthy Russian business figures and people close to the Kremlin, many of whom were sanctioned in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The Cyprus Confidential files include details of services provided by Cypriot financial services firms to 96 Russian individuals who have since been sanctioned by the EU, US or both.

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“Cyprus is in the European Union and it is very clear what the European stance is in relation to Russian money, be it legal or illegal, so obviously we expect every member state to follow the agreements that the European Union has enacted in unison in relation to its response to the illegal invasion of Ukraine,” said Mr O’Brien.