Moscow, July 22 (IANS) Russia has significantly expanded its entry ban list mainly targetting European officials, in response to the European Union’s recent 17th and 18th package of sanctions against the country, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Council of the European Union approved the 17th and 18th packages of sanctions on Russia on May 20 and July 18, respectively, over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“In response to these unfriendly actions, Russia has significantly expanded the list of officials from European institutions, EU member states and a number of European countries that follow Brussels’ anti-Russian policy, who are banned from entering Russia based on the Federal Law 114-FZ ‘On the Procedure of Exiting and Entering the Russian Federation’ from August 15, 1996,” read the statement.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, those include citizens of EU member states and some other Western countries, who work for security and government agencies and commercial organisations and are responsible for providing military aid to Kyiv, participate in the delivery of dual-use products to Ukraine, engage in efforts aimed at undermining the territorial integrity of our country and block the movement of Russian vessels and cargoes in the Baltic Sea.

It further specified that the blacklist also includes officials in EU institutions and the government agencies of EU countries and other European nations who are involved in the persecution of Russian officials for the alleged “illegal arrests” and removal of people from Ukrainian territories.

Additionally the ban was extended to those who are working to create “a tribunal” against the Russian leadership, call for the seizure of Russian state assets and the use of profits from them to the benefit of the Kyiv regime; those behind sanctions on Russia who seek to harm Russia’s relations with other countries; civil society activists and members of the academic community who are particularly known for their anti-Russian rhetoric; the lawmakers from EU countries and members of the European Parliament that voted for anti-Russian resolutions and bills, said the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Furthermore, the Ministry asserted that “hostile anti-Russian actions cannot influence” Moscow’s policy. “Russia will continue to pursue a policy aimed at defending its national interests and a new, equitable world order,” the statement emphasised.

It also stressed that “further sanctions-related decisions by the European Union will also be met with a timely and appropriate response”.

The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the imposition of sanctions made it evident that “the European Union continues to pile up unilateral restrictions on Russia, which are illegal in terms of international law and undermine the prerogatives of the UN Security Council”.

The EU’s 18th package of sanctions on Russia blacklisted over 50 individuals and entities. The sanctions affected 22 Russian banks, the Nord Stream gas pipelines, and the Russian Rosneft company’s oil refinery in India. The price cap for Russian oil was reduced from $60 to $47.60 per barrel, while the EU imposed a ban on the import of petroleum products made of Russian oil.

–IANS

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