March 15 (UPI) -- The Russian government on Tuesday announced sanctions on more than a dozen U.S. leaders, including President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the "unprecedented sanctions" will place the U.S. leaders on a "stop-list," reciprocating U.S. sanctions on Russian leaders banning them from entering the United States.
"This step, taken in the order of backlash, became an inevitable consequence of the extreme Russophobic course taken by the current #US administration, which in a desperate attempt to preserve American hegemony, made a bet, throwing away all decency ... and Russia's frontal restraint," the ministry said in a statement on Facebook.
When asked about Russia's sanctions during Tuesday's press briefing, White House press secretary Jen Psaki appeared to dismiss the news with a joke, pointing out that Biden "is a junior, so they may have sanctioned his dad."
"Won't surprise any of you that none of us are planning tourists trips to Russia, none of have bank accounts that we won't be able to access, so we will forge ahead," she said.
Russia on Tuesday also backlisted more than 310 Canadian politicians, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, from entering Russia over the punitive measures it has also imposed against Moscow.
Russia's foreign ministry said the bans were in response to the sanctions "feverishly imposed" by Ottawa in step with Washington's "Russophobic rage."
"This step is forced and has been taken in response to the hostile actions of the current Canadian regime," the ministry said in a statement. "Every Russophobic attack, whether it is an attack on Russian diplomatic missions, the closure of airspace or Ottawa's actual rupture of bilateral economic ties -- to the detriment of Canadian interests -- will inevitably receive a decisive and not necessarily symmetrical rebuff."
The United States, Canada and other countries across the globe have levied a series of sanctions against the Kremlin, businesses, leaders and oligarchs over the past several weeks in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Additionally, many U.S-based and global brands -- such as McDonald's, Coca-Cola, the National Hockey League and Visa -- have pulled out of or cut ties with Russia as punishment for the deadly violence.
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said Sunday that the sanctions have already caused Russia's economy to contact. She said the organization expects the country to experience a "deep recession" as incomes, spending power and the value of the ruble shrink.
Along with Biden and Blinken, the U.S. leaders named in Russia's sanctions include Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin; Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley; national security adviser Jake Sullivan; CIA Director Bill Burns; White House press secretary Jen Psaki; Deputy national security adviser Daleep Singh; Samantha Power, administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development; Hunter Biden, the president's son; Hillary Clinton, former first lady, senator, secretary of state and presidential candidate; Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo; and Reta Jo Lewis, president and chairwoman of the Export-Import Bank of the United States.