Russia announces sanctions against Biden, Blinken, other top US officials

Hosts Vice President Joe Biden and Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken, delivers his remarks during a luncheon gathering in honor of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, Tuesday, June 30, 2015, at the State Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Russia has imposed personal sanctions against US leadership and persons associated with them, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The list published on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry, includes 13 people:

• US President Joe Biden
• US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken
• Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin
• Assistant to the President for National Security Jake Sullivan
• CIA Director William Burns
• Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley
• White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki
• Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Duleep Singh
• Director of the US Agency for International Development Samantha Power
• US President’s son Hunter Biden
• Former US Secretary of State and former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton
• US First Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Adewale Adeyemo
• President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank Reta Joe Lewis

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that this measure was taken “in response to a series of unprecedented sanctions prohibiting top officials of the Russian Federation from entering the United States.