Russia’s foreign ministry announced sanctions on US President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Tuesday alongside several officials in a reciprocal response to Western measures.
“In the near future, new announcements will follow to expand the sanctions list by including top US officials, military, legislators, businessmen, experts, and media persons, who are `Russophobic` or who contribute to inciting hatred towards Russia and the introduction of restrictive measures,” the ministry said.
On March 3, the US has also declared sanctions on Russian oligarchs in an attempt to squeeze President Vladimir Putin as his attack on Ukraine proceeds.
The new penalties targeted individuals from the Russian elite, their families, and close partners, removing them from the US monetary framework.
“The goal is to maximize the impact on Putin,” US President Joe Biden said earlier.
Meanwhile, Biden, today said that he would provide aid to Ukraine in the form of “arms, food and money” as Kyiv continued to resist Russia’s invasion, which has entered its 20th day.
The US also expressed a desire to welcome the refugees “with open arms”, as Ukrainians continue to flee the war-torn nation.
In a separate statement, Russia’s foreign ministry announced punitive measures against 313 Canadians including Trudeau and several of his ministers.
Sanctions have also been placed on US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, CIA Director William Burns, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and ten other administration officials and political figures from the country.
The measure “is the consequence of the extremely Russophobic policy pursued by the current US administration”, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.
Several countries including the United States have imposed sanctions on Russia since its invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
Western countries have already sanctioned top Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov.
On Tuesday, the US announced sanctions on 11 Russian defense leaders and signaled that it could levy sanctions against Alexander Lukashenko, the President of Moscow-allied Belarus.
Earlier, the UK slapped sanctions on another 370 Russian individuals, including former Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev.
President Biden is due to travel to Europe next week to attend an emergency Nato summit in Brussels where he will assert Washington’s “iron-clad” backing to its allies, the White House said on Tuesday.
The United States also renewed its sanctions against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, besides targeting several senior Russian defense officials as it seeks to punish countries that supported Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow’s move came in response to massive sanctions imposed by Washington on Russian officials, hours awhile the United Kingdom placed new penalties on more than 370 Russians and banned the export of luxury goods to the country.
However, Russia’s foreign ministry said it was maintaining official relations with Washington and if necessary would make sure that high-level contacts with the people on the list could take place.
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