Russia has approved 17 countries as those who took “unfriendly actions” against it in the current imbroglio in Ukraine.
The list of 17 countries include United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand—the Anglo-Saxon powers as it were—but also includes Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan amongst others, not to forget Ukraine and European Union.
UK has cracked down on 15 individuals and 205 companies in Russia in terms of sanctions but the worst hand naturally has come from the United States. It has slapped sanctions on eight prominent Russian oligarchs as well two of Russia’s largest banks.
The full list of “unfriendly” countries are:
- Australia
- Canada
- EU
- Iceland
- Liechtenstein
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Taiwan
- San Marino
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Switzerland
- Ukraine
- UK
- US
Russian President Vladimir Putin, on Saturday, said that any sanctions on the Russian Federation were akin to a declaration of war. “These sanctions that are being imposed are akin to a declaration of war but thank God it has not come to that,” Putin said, speaking to a group of women flight attendants at an Aeroflot training centre near Moscow.
Earlier, he had threatened ‘tough retaliatory measures’ against the UK as it warned that it ‘will not forget’ London’s ‘sanctions hysteria’. Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova hurled threats at the UK and its allies, as she said, “The sanctions hysteria in which London plays one of the leading, if not the main, roles, leaves us no choice but to take proportionately tough retaliatory measures. London has made a final choice of open confrontation with Russia.”
