The European Union on Wednesday formally excluded seven Russian banks from the SWIFT payment system as part of the bloc’s latest sanctions over Russia’s attack on Ukraine. “Today’s decision to disconnect key Russian banks from the SWIFT network will send yet another very clear signal to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and the Kremlin,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement, adding that the latest sanctions are the largest ever to be enforced against any country in the EU’s history. The measure, taking effect on March 12, excludes two of Russia’s biggest institutions, Sberbank and Gazprombank, because they handle most of the payments for oil and gas, which EU countries are still buying from Russia. The EU relies heavily on Russia for oil and gas and about 40 percent of gas consumption in the 27-member bloc comes from Russia. Expelled institutions added to the final list, which was …