Russia-Ukraine war: Psaki’s hilarious response to Russia’s ban on Biden
Russia has slapped a ban on Joe Biden and called for Alaska to become part of its territory, prompting a mocking White House response.
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Russia has slapped a ban on Joe Biden and called for Alaska to become part of its territory again - as Vladimir Putin strikes back at growing sanctions.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov slapped sanctions on Mr Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, CIA director Bill Burns and other senior US officials.
Moscow also banned the US President’s son Hunter Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said they were being added to a “stop list” in retaliation for the growing economic blockade on its economy.
But White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, who also made the list, laughed them off.
“I would first note that President Biden is a ‘junior’ so they may have sanctioned his dad, may he rest in peace,” she said during her daily briefing.
“The second piece I would say is ... that none of us are planning tourist trips to Russia and none of us have bank accounts that we won’t be able to access, so we will forge ahead.”
Ms Clinton also saw the funny side.
“I want to thank the Russian Academy for this Lifetime Achievement Award,” she said in a sarcastic tweet.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was acting “in response to a series of unprecedented sanctions” and was imposing its own measures “on the basis of reciprocity”
It added the actions were an “inevitable consequence of the extremely Russophobic course taken by the current US Administration”.
The move comes after a member of Russia’s parliament called for reparations from the US, which included the return of its historic settlement in Alaska.
The US bought the territory from the Russian Empire in 1867 in a deal known as the Alaska Purchase.