US Warns Austria Over Raiffeisen Bank's Russian Ties
• Top US sanctions official to warn Austria over banking ties with Russia, targeting Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) • Official will speak about new US sanctions authority that heightens risks for banks with Russian exposure • US trying to pressure RBI, which processes many payments to/from Russia and is reluctant to cut ties • Austria pressured Ukraine to remove RBI from "sponsor of war" blacklist in order to back EU sanctions • RBI intended to spin off Russian business but still provides vital payment lifeline to hundreds of companies there