Putin bans Biden's wife Jill and daughter Ashley from entering Russia INDEFINITELY
Russia has included President Joe Biden's wife and daughter among other prominent figures in its "stop-list" of US individuals and entities it believes have promoted a "Russophobic" agenda.
Those added to the list by the Russian foreign ministry in recent months are banned indefinitely from entering the country. Biden and his family were among a host of prominent US personalities on the list, including Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Charles Grassley of Iowa, and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York. The blacklist also included a number of university professors, researchers, and former government officials.
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Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement that the step was taken "as a response to the ever-expanding U.S. sanctions against Russian political and public figures." The move came just a day after the US announced a slew of additional sanctions aimed at hurting the Russian war effort by limiting the country's access to global markets, technology, and trade while freezing the assets of those involved in Vladimir Putin's regime.
The G7 group of nations, whose leaders met in Germany this week, are reportedly expected to issue a statement of support for Ukraine, including new sanctions and commitments. Meanwhile, the Biden administration is set to implement sanctions on hundreds of individuals and entities and impose tariffs on hundreds of Russian products. The US already has a number of sanctions in place against more than 1,000 Russian elites and businesses believed to be complicit in Putin's war on Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the G7 leaders on Monday, June 27, urging them to declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism. If such a classification proceeds, dozens of countries that do business with Moscow could be sanctioned and Russian assets in the US could be frozen. It's worth noting that even at the peak of the Cold War, successive governments considered an official designation of state-sponsored terrorism a "step too far," the Daily Mail reported.
The announcement of fresh sanctions came just hours before alleged Russian missiles targeted a packed shopping center in the city of Kremenchuk in central Ukraine, claiming at least 18 lives. Kyiv said about 1,000 people were inside the mall when it was hit by two Russian AS-4 guided missiles -- Soviet-era weaponry originally designed to take out US aircraft carriers in the sea. At least 60 people were wounded in the attack, including 25 who have been hospitalized.
The strike reportedly sparked a fire that destroyed the building and caused the roof to collapse. Firefighters worked through the night to douse the flames and hundreds of potential victims remain unaccounted for. The rocket attacks were branded as a "war crime" by G7 leaders, who promised that those responsible would be held accountable for the atrocities. "Indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians constitute a war crime," the leaders said in a joint statement, condemning the "abominable attack."
Large shopping mall in Kremenchuk with hundreds of civilians inside has been hit by a Russian strike. Russia is a disgrace to humanity and it must face consequences. The response should be more heavy arms for Ukraine, more sanctions on Russia, and more businesses leaving Russia. pic.twitter.com/Uvi6fbyShK
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) June 27, 2022
In an evening broadcast posted to Telegram, Zelenskyy called the missile strikes "one of the most brazen terrorist acts in European history." He added, "A peaceful town, an ordinary shopping center - women, children ordinary civilians inside," after sharing a video of the shopping center engulfed in flames with dozens of rescuers and a fire truck outside.
Russian rockets are also said to have killed at least eight civilians in a separate attack on Monday. Luhansk region governor Serhiy Haidai said the victims were collecting water in the eastern city of Lysychansk at the time of the attack. There have been multiple other strikes in Kyiv and Kharkiv in recent days that have also resulted in several casualties.
