Ukrainian Foreign Minister calls on West to boycott firms that continue operations in Russia
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told reporters in Kyiv that it is immoral for Western firms to continue business operations in Russia and such companies should be boycotted.
“International business should leave Russia for both moral and pragmatic reasons,” Kuleba stated. “No one wants to be associated with war crimes.”
“The Russian economy is rapidly approaching collapse. Companies are trying to leave now so as not to withdraw capital from under the rubble later on… Putin has destroyed the investment climate,” Kuleba added.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has calculated that 209 Western firms have completely ceased operations in Russia, and 378 continue to operate in some capacity. “We are dissatisfied with this. We know these companies, we know their tricks and maneuvers to stay in the Russian market, and we will squeeze them,” Kuleba stated.
The Foreign Minister highlighted 26 large firms that continue to conduct business in Russia, including Raiffeisen, OTP Bank, City Group, Société Gé Sanpaolo, Papa John’s, Kellogg’s, Bayer, Leroy Merlin, Metro, Auchan, Spar, Pirelli and Bridgestone Tires, Accor, Intercontinental, OTIS Worldwide, Honeywell, Mohawk Industries, Arconic, Oriflame, Kimberly-Clark, Koti, Ecco, Salvatore Ferragamo, and Philip Morris.
"I once again urge them to leave the Russian market as soon as possible, and the rest of the governments and consumers to boycott these companies until they stop working in Russia," Kuleba added.