Kremlin publishes list of countries it has deemed 'unfriendly' toward Russia
The Russian government on Monday shared an official list of countries and foreign states it's declared as having committed "unfriendly actions" against "Russia, Russian companies, and citizens," reports the Jerusalem Post and Newsweek.
According to the Jerusalem Post, the countries and territories mentioned include Australia, the United Kingdom, member states of the European Union, Singapore, the United States, Switzerland, and Japan, among others. Quite ironically, the Kremlin also listed Ukraine — the target of an ongoing Russian-led offensive — on its list.
Business dealings with these countries will now require approval from the government, Russia said, per Newsweek. Foreign creditors from countries on the list can also now "be paid in rubles for any debts owed to them by Russian citizens, companies, regions or the state itself," writes Independent.ie. A decree to allow state and Russian companies to pay foreigners in rubles was introduced over the weekend, following a slew of international sanctions that cut off "Russian banks, oligarchs, politicians and the central bank from global payments systems," Independent.ie adds.
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Last week, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the Russian government would automatically consider any country that sanctions Russia to be "de facto unfriendly," CNN writes.
