Russia sanctions President Biden, US strikes back at Belarusian President
Russia has just announced sanctions against US President Joe Biden and more than a dozen other officials. On the same day, the US also announced new sanctions against the President of Belarus.
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| US President Joe Biden and Belarusian President Lukashenko. Photo: AP |
According to RT news agency, Moscow announced sanctionsPresident Joe Bidenand a series of other US officials. Including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and many other US government officials and political figures.
Russia said the sanctions were a reciprocal measure, imposed after the US blacklisted top Russian leaders, including President Vladimir Putin. This new move by Russia is described as a reaction against the "Russophobia of the current US administration".
Appearing at the top of the list of 13 names sanctioned is President Joe Biden, followed by Secretary of State Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff - General Mark Milley, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, CIA Director William Burns, White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
Moscow's sanctions list also includes the names of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Hunter Biden, son of US President Joe Biden, who had dealings with a Ukrainian energy company.
More names will be added to the list in the near future, the Kremlin said, warning that top US officials, military officials, lawmakers, businessmen, experts and media figures who are anti-Russian or who contribute to inciting hatred against Russia will also be blacklisted.
Also on the day, the US imposed new sanctions on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who allied with Russia in its attack on Ukraine.
CNN news agency quoted the US Treasury Department as saying that a series of other Russian individuals, including a judge, were also sanctioned by the US for human rights violations.
The new sanctions imposed by the US on Mr Lukashenko and his wife, Halina, will freeze their assets and interests in the US and Americans will be banned from engaging in transactions with them.
Last December, the US imposed sanctions on relatives of the Belarusian president after a migrant crisis erupted on the Belarus-Polish border, leading to allegations of human rights abuses.
In addition, the US also imposed sanctions on Belarus for supporting Russia in its attack on Ukraine.
