Russia slaps sanctions on US President Joe Biden, top officials

Russia on Tuesday slapped sanctions on US President Joe Biden, secretary of state Antony Blinken and a several other senior officials. Moscow said it had put the top officials on a “stop list” that barred their entry into Russia.

Among other officials named in the list of 13 were defence secretary Lloyd Austin, CIA chief William Burns, national security adviser Jake Sullivan, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and others.

The move came in response to massive sanctions imposed by Washington on Russian officials, while the United Kingdom placed new penalties on more than 370 Russians and banned the export of luxury goods to the country.

However, the foreign ministry said it was maintaining official relations with Washington and if necessary would make sure that high-level contacts with the people on the list could take place.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s parliament voted to prolong martial law by 30 days, and the capital prepared to go into an extended two-night curfew from 8pm local time as Kyiv’s mayor warned of dangerous times ahead.

Moscow and Kyiv continued negotiations aimed at achieving a cease-fire amid relentless firing by Russian troops advancing towards the Ukrainian capital.

The prime ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia announced a coordinated visit to Kyiv for talks with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the first in-person meeting with the Ukrainian president since Russia launched the war on its neighbour about three weeks ago.