More than a dozen members of the British government have been barred from entering Russia in response to the sanctions the United Kingdom has placed on the country for invading Ukraine.
Notable members of the list released Saturday include Prime Minister Boris Johnson, former Prime Minister Theresa May, and Defense Secretary Ben Wallace. Russia’s foreign ministry accused the U.K. of “creating conditions for containing our country and strangling the domestic economy,” according to the BBC.
“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,” the ministry’s statement read.
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The U.K. government said it remained “resolute” in its support for Ukraine despite the blacklisting of its government members and condemned Russia’s “reprehensible actions” in the country.
“I updated my friend @ZelenskyyUa this afternoon on further military aid we will provide to Ukraine in the coming days,” Johnson tweeted Saturday afternoon. “The UK will stop at nothing to ensure Ukrainians have the resources they need to defend their country from the ongoing Russian onslaught. #StandWithUkraine.️”
Last week, Johnson, who has been positioning himself as one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies, recently had an in-person meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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Russia imposed similar sanctions preventing U.S. officials, including President Joe Biden, his son Hunter, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, White House press secretary Jen Psaki, and others, from visiting the country on March 15.
While stopping short of committing troops, Western countries have attempted to increase pressure on Russia to stop its assault on Ukraine via sanctions.
