Russia barred 21 British lawmakers from entering the country on Wednesday, citing the United Kingdom’s “confrontational” stance toward Moscow.
“The comprehensive nature of the anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the United Kingdom and the hysterical statements of British officials … indicate that London does not intend to abandon its choice in favor of an open confrontation with Russia,” the foreign ministry said in a statement Wednesday.
The list includes six members of the House of Lords and 15 members of parliament from various parties, including the governing Labour Party, the centrist Liberal Democrats, the Scottish National Party and Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party.
According to the ministry, the MPs targeted had made “hostile statements and unfounded accusations” against Moscow.
“Being targeted by this thuggish, criminal regime is a compliment,” Labour MP Blair McDougall, among those sanctioned, told POLITICO. “That amongst the reasons is that I have been rude to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin shows how brittle and pathetic his regime is. This won’t stop British MPs from speaking up for the people of Ukraine.”
Labour MP Phil Brickell said Putin “has another thing coming” if he thinks the ban will silence them.
Liberal Democrat defense spokesperson Helen Maguire, also on the list, said she would “wear this retaliatory sanction as a badge of honor,” adding that “this knee-jerk reaction to our pressure on Russia shows that we’ve got under Putin’s skin.”
The travel ban was announced the same day London hosted peace talks on Ukraine, attended by U.S. and European officials as well as top Ukrainian representatives including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
In its statement, the ministry accused the U.K. of “demonizing” Russia and “actively fabricating anti-Russian narratives” to undermine Moscow’s global standing.
Since Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, London has remained one of Kyiv’s most steadfast allies, with the U.K. Treasury freezing over £25 billion in Russian assets and sanctioning more than 2,000 individuals and entities linked to the Kremlin.
Matt Honeycombe-Foster contributed to this report.
The post Moscow blocks 21 UK politicians from entering Russia appeared first on Politico.
