Russia bans entry of over 900 US citizens including Joe Biden, his son & Secy Blinken

In retaliation to the mounting sanctions by the United States, the Russian government has banned more than 900 American citizens from entering the country on a permanent basis. The "stop list" released by the Russian Foreign Ministry includes as many as 963 people, including US President Joe Biden, his son Hunter Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. "We emphasize that the hostile actions taken by Washington, which boomerang against the United States itself, will continue to receive a proper rebuff," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. 

The Russian Foreign Ministry also accused the US administration of trying to impose a neo-colonial "rules-based world order" on the rest of the globe. The ministry stated that Russian counter-sanctions are imposed and intended to force the governing American regime to change its conduct and acknowledge new geopolitical realities. "Russia does not seek confrontation and is open to honest, mutually respectful dialogue, separating the American people, who are always respected by us, from the US authorities, who incite Russophobia, and those who serve them. It is these people who are included in the Russian 'black list'," the statement further read. 

US, G7 impose additional sanctions on Russia

In an effort to strengthen Ukraine's position on the battlefield and at the negotiating table, Joe Biden's administration, along with other G7 member states, imposed additional sanctions on the Russian Federation on May 8. The sanctions were aimed at hitting various sectors of the Russian economy, including fuel, as well as restricting Putin's allies. The sanctions were decided upon during a virtual meeting in which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was also present. Notably, since the onset of the war, several countries have imposed numerous sanctions against Russia for its unjustified attack on Ukraine. 

US likely to deploy nearly 100,000 troops in Europe: Officials

Meanwhile, US officials have claimed that the country is expected to deploy nearly 100,000 troops in Europe amid fears that Russia could escalate its aggression and threaten Sweden and Finland or North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members. They further stated that the number of US forces may rise temporarily, if NATO conducts more military exercises in the region, and if the security situation changes. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the US increased its force deployment in Europe from roughly 60,000 soldiers to around 100,000 troops to assist NATO and confront Moscow's threats, CNN reported.