[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] On the 15th (local time), Russia imposed sanctions on more than 10 key officials of the U.S. administration, including U.S. President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. It also banned entry of Canadian officials, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
According to CNN and others, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a press release on the same day that "this is a response to an unprecedented series of sanctions against Russia," and "from March 15, based on reciprocity, U.S. President Biden, Secretary Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, and a series of government department leaders and prominent American activists are included on the 'entry ban list.'"
The sanctions list also included Jake Sullivan, U.S. National Security Advisor at the White House; William Burns, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA); Jen Psaki, White House Press Secretary; Daleep Singh, Deputy National Security Advisor (NSC) at the White House; Samantha Power, Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development; and Wally Adeyemo, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury. Additionally, Hunter Biden, son of President Biden, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were also placed on the sanctions list.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described this measure as "an inevitable result of the extreme Russophobic line taken by the U.S. administration," adding, "The U.S. administration is clinging to a confrontational deterrence policy against Russia as a desperate attempt to maintain American hegemony." This clearly indicated that the decision was retaliation against the U.S., which had previously sanctioned President Vladimir Putin and others.
Furthermore, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that it will continue to add to the sanctions list U.S. senior officials, military personnel, lawmakers, businesspeople, experts, and journalists who harbor Russophobia, incite hatred against Russia, or contribute to imposing sanctions. It also added that the Russian government, banks, and other institutions will take measures to enforce the sanctions.
In addition, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a separate statement entry ban sanctions against high-ranking Canadian government officials and related persons, including Prime Minister Trudeau. The sanctions list included Foreign Minister M?lanie Joly and Defense Minister Anita Anand.
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