MOSCOW: Russia has announced it was banning entry of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Deputy PM Dominic Raab, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, ex-premier Theresa May and the First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon, after London had imposed sanctions on Russia over its action in Ukraine.

“This step was taken as a response to London’s unbridled information and political campaign aimed at isolating Russia internationally, creating conditions for restricting our country and strangling the domestic economy,” the foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “gave a positive assessment” of joint work in the OPEC+ format during a phone call. They also discussed the situation in Ukraine and Yemen, the Kremlin said.

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2022