American Express suspends operations in Russia, Belarus over Ukraine invasion
Globally issued American Express cards will no longer work at merchants or ATMs in Russia
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American Express on Sunday said it will suspend operations in Russia over its military invasion of Ukraine.
"In light of Russia’s ongoing, unjustified attack on the people of Ukraine, American Express is suspending operations in Russia," the company said in a statement.
FILE: The logo of Dow Jones Industrial Average stock market index listed company American Express (AXP) is seen in Los Angeles, California, United States, April 25, 2016. (Reuters/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo)
Under this protocol, globally issued American Express cards will no longer work at merchants or ATMs in Russia. Cards issued by Russian banks inside the country will no longer work outside of Russia on the American Express global network.
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The company said it is also suspending operations in Belarus, which hosted Russian troops in the weeks leading up to the invasion of Ukraine.
The move follows Visa and Mastercard which both announced Saturday they are suspending business operations in Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
Many large corporations, including BP, Shell, General Motors, and Maersk, have said they are cutting ties or attempting to cut ties with Russia in recent days.
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Their actions come amid crippling sanctions imposed by the west on Russia – including President Vladimir Putin – in response to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Ukraine. Putin has likened the sanctions to a declaration of war.
A woman reacts as she stands in front of a house burning after being shelled in the city of Irpin, outside Kyiv. (ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Several Russian banks said they would soon issue cards using the Chinese UnionPay card operator’s system with its own Mir network, Reuters reported.
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The U.N. human rights office said Saturday at least 351 civilians have been killed and 707 wounded in Ukraine since the start of the invasion, though the true number of casualties is likely much higher.
Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.