On Saturday, Russia decided to permanently ban US President Joe Biden and 962 other US citizens from entering the country, including the head of diplomacy and the secretary of defense.
BUT This decision is a response to the sanctions imposed by Washington. against Moscow in connection with the Russian military offensive in Ukraine.
“We emphasize that the hostile actions of Washington will become a “boomerang” against the United States and will be properly rejected,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Moscow stressed that “Russian counter-sanctions are mandatory.” and are aimed at forcing the government of the United States of America, which is trying to impose a neo-colonial world order based on its own rules, to change its behavior and recognize the new geopolitical realities.
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“Russia does not seek confrontation and is open to frank and respectful dialogue, which distinguishes the American people, who have always enjoyed our respect, from the American authorities that encourage Russophobia, and those who serve them. It is these people who are included in the Russian “black list,” he added.
In addition to the president, also his second son, Robert Hunter Biden, a figure on the banned list from this Saturday from entering Russia.
Top US government officials and agencies targeted by Moscow also include Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and CIA Director William Burns.
The sanctions were announced shortly after Washington reported that Biden, who is visiting Seoul, passed a bill that would give Ukraine an additional nearly $40 billion aid package.
Russia launched a military offensive in Ukraine on February 24 that has continued to this day, condemned by most of the international community, which responded with financial and military assistance such as sending weapons to Ukraine and strengthening unprecedented economic and political sanctions against Moscow.
