US Diplomats Worry 'Dirty Money' In London Will Undermine Anti-Russian Sanctions - Reports

The United States fears that the United Kingdom's tolerance of "dirty money" allegedly flowing to London from Russia may make potential anti-Russian sanctions irrelevant, The Times reported on Friday, citing US diplomatic sources

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th January, 2022) The United States fears that the United Kingdom's tolerance of "dirty money" allegedly flowing to London from Russia may make potential anti-Russian sanctions irrelevant, The Times reported on Friday, citing US diplomatic sources.

In the wake of tensions on the Russian-Ukrainian border, US President Joe Biden threatened to sanction Russia earlier this week, and Russian President Vladimir Putin personally, in the event of aggression.

One source in Washington told the newspaper that Russian money is allegedly so entrenched in the British capital that it may not be possible to use it against Putin, making all the talk from Biden about sanctioning the Russian leader posturing.

American diplomats are accusing the United Kingdom of not going after Russian businesspeople with alleged ties to the Kremlin and houses in the high-end London districts of Knightsbridge and Belgravia.

In 2020, the Intelligence and Security Committee of the UK Parliament issued a report on alleged Russian influence, claiming that various UK governments have allowed Russian businessmen to launder alleged illicit money through the capital and creating an industry of lawyers, accountants and estate agents allegedly helping Putin-linked elites store their money abroad.