Russia bans UK PM, top Indian-origin ministers Sunak and Patel

PTI

London, April 16

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and several top UK Cabinet ministers and politicians are banned from Russia for their “unprecedented hostile actions” of imposing sanctions over the Ukraine conflict, the Russian Foreign Minister said in a statement on Saturday.

The full list of 13 British politicians on the so-called “stop list” issued from Moscow includes Indian-origin ministers – UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Attorney General Suella Braverman – as well as Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and defence secretary Ben Wallace.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said the list will be expanded in the “near future” to include more British politicians and parliamentarians.

“In connection with the unprecedented hostile actions of the British government, expressed, in particular, in the imposition of sanctions against top officials of the Russian Federation, a decision was made to include key members of the British government and a number of political figures in the Russian ‘stop list’,” said the statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

“This step was taken as a response to London’s unbridled information and political campaign aimed at isolating Russia internationally, creating conditions for containing our country and strangling the domestic economy. In essence, the British leadership is deliberately aggravating the situation around Ukraine, pumping the Kyiv regime with lethal weapons and coordinating similar efforts on the part of NATO,” reads the statement, translated from Russian.

“The instigation of London is also unacceptable, which is strongly pushing not only its Western allies, but also other countries to introduce large-scale anti-Russian sanctions, which, however, are senseless and counterproductive,” it adds.

With reference to a string of economic sanctions imposed on Russia by the British government in recent weeks, the ministry accuses the British authorities of a “Russophobic course” aimed at stirring up a negative attitude towards Russia and curtail bilateral ties in almost all areas, which it says is detrimental to the well-being and interests of the inhabitants of Britain itself.

“Any sanctions attacks will inevitably hit their initiators and receive a decisive rebuff,” it said.

“In the near future, this list will be expanded to include British politicians and parliamentarians who contribute to whipping up anti-Russian hysteria, pushing the ‘collective West’ to use the language of threats in dialogue with Moscow, and shamelessly inciting the Kiev neo-Nazi regime,” it adds.

Other UK politicians on the “stop list” include UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, Minister of Entrepreneurship, Energy and Industrial Strategy Kwasi Kwarteng, Minister of Digitalisation, Culture, Media and Sport Nadine Dorries, Minister for the Armed Forces James Heappey, First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon, and Conservative Party MP and former British Prime Minister Theresa May.

In March, Moscow imposed a similar ban against US President Joe Biden in retaliation for American sanctions against the Kremlin over the conflict in Ukraine.

The UK sanctions have included financial measures designed to damage Russia’s economy and penalise Russian President Vladimir Putin, high-ranking officials and Russian oligarchs close to the Kremlin. Britain has been at the forefront of rallying support for Ukraine, with Boris Johnson in regular contact with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and also paying a visit to the conflict-torn region.

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