Moscow blacklists Boris Johnson and cabinet ministers for Russophobic actions —

Moscow blacklists Boris Johnson and cabinet ministers for Russophobic actions

A week ago Boris Johnson paid a visit to Kyiv, one of several European politicians to go to the Ukrainian capital to meet President Zelensky

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, and other British Cabinet ministers have been placed on a Kremlin blacklist and banned from entering Russia in response to sanctions against the country, according to news agency Tass.

 Justice Secretary Dominic Raab and former PM Theresa May and other top UK officials are also among those on the list.

The Russian foreign ministry cited “unprecedented hostile actions of the British government, expressed, in particular, in the imposition of sanctions against top officials” in Russia.

“The Russophobic course of action of the British authorities, whose main goal is to stir up negative attitude toward our country, curtailing of bilateral ties in almost all areas are detrimental to the well-being and interests of the residents of Britain. Any sanctions attack will inevitably backfire on their initiators and receive a decisive rebuff,” the statement said.

A week ago Boris Johnson paid a visit to Kyiv, one of several European politicians to go to the Ukrainian capital to meet President Zelenskyy and show solidarity with Ukraine.

The British government promised to supply high-grade weapons worth €120 million, including anti-tank missiles to Ukraine. Johnson also confirmed further economic support, guaranteeing an additional €550 million in World Bank lending to Ukraine, taking Britain’s total loan guarantee to up to €1.1 billion.

In mid-March Russia announced a similar travel ban on US President Joe Biden and other US officials. Western countries including the US, the UK and the EU have targeted Russian President Vladimir Putin and other senior officials with sanctions.

A UK Government spokesperson said: “The UK and our international partners stand united in condemning the Russian government’s reprehensible actions in Ukraine and calling for the Kremlin to stop the war. We remain resolute in our support for Ukraine.”