MINNEAPOLIS — Gov. Tim Walz directed state agencies Friday to terminate any contracts with Russian entities to punish the country for invading Ukraine.

Tim Walz

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that Walz issued an executive order directing more than two dozen state agencies to end their contracts. He also asked his cabinet not to enter into any future contracts with Russian entities to ensure the state doesn’t aid what he called “the Russian government’s aggression against Ukraine.”

Walz spokesman Teddy Tschann said state agencies will review their business deals but administrators believe they have few, if any, contracts with Russian agencies.

President Joe Biden has directed U.S. financial systems to sever ties with Russia’s largest banks and impose sanctions on Russian elites and their family members in an effort to hurt the Russian economy and military operations. About a dozen U.S. governors are already reviewing or cutting financial ties with Russian companies.

Walz’s order is effective within 15 days of being issued and registered with the state, and will remain in place until the governor rescinds the directive.