The Russian Foreign Ministry has imposed sanctions against 398 members of the US House of Representatives and 87 Canadian senators. The Russian move comes as a reprisal against the multitude of sanctions imposed on the country for its invasion of Ukraine by the United States and some western and European nations.
As quoted by the Russian Interfax news agency, 'More sanctions are planned' the Russian Foreign Ministry said on 13th April. "Taking into account the sanctions the U.S. is constantly introducing, further announcements of Russian countermeasures are planned in the near future," the Foreign Ministry said in the statement.
In another statement the ministry announced that more measures will be undertaken to introduce additional sanctions on Ottawa's "short sighted policies" apart from the already imposed ones against the 87 members of the Senate of Canada.
Ever since the invasion, Moscow has faced numerous wide-ranging sanctions starting from the exclusion of several banks from the SWIFT messaging system to the individual sanctions on its oligarchy population that also included the seizing of their personal property. The country's growing isolation is followed closely by its deep economic depression, as the value of Ruble falls rapidly.
Along with these sanctions that specifically targeted its economy, the Western countries announced a coordinated expulsion of Russian diplomats on grounds of alleged spying and espionage.
Sputnik News reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin held a joint press conference with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's Far East, to discuss and deepen the integration between Moscow and Minsk 'in the face of all-out Western sanctions' The Belarusian platform has become an important one for Putin as he says that the beginning of a direct dialogue with Ukraine was largely possible due to the personal efforts of Lukashenko.
Speaking on these Western sanctions, the Russian President said on Tuesday that no one could shut all the doors and windows of Russia, and no country could maintain complete dominance since the world today was more complicated than it was in the Cold War. "We will continue to jointly oppose any attempts to slow down the development of our countries or artificially isolate them from the global economy," Putin said.
