Russia is set to restrict entry for citizens that come from 'unfriendly countries' as part of a retaliation against further sanctions.
Vladimir Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine has entered a 33rd day, with the EU, UK and US all set to bring in further financial penalties against him and his country in the next few days.
Already, we've seen a number of moves made by the superpowers, with the cost of food, gas, oil and other imports rising as a result of the punishments.
Read more: Timeline of Russia Ukraine war so far - from Irish sea exercises to destruction of cities
And on Monday afternoon, during a televised address, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov revealed that Putin is set to sign a decree which will restrict entry into Russia for citizens of "unfriendly countries" in response to western sanctions.
Earlier this month the state media agency RIA, who tweeted: "The government has approved a list of countries unfriendly to Russia. It included, among others:
- Australia,
- UK,
- EU countries,
- Iceland,
- Canada,
- Liechtenstein,
- Monaco,
- New Zealand,
- Norway,
- Korea,
- San Marino,
- Singapore,
- USA,
- Taiwan,
- Ukraine,
- Montenegro,
- Switzerland,
- Japan
Financial Times reporter Max Seddon broke the news of Lavrov's statement.
The latest round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are set to begin today.
They will last until Wednesday, with some officials hoping that peace can be struck, with the potential for Ukrainian neutrality being a key point.
They begin on the same day that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy admitted it would be "impossible" to completely force Russia out of Ukraine without starting a "Third World War";
Read more: Irish priests register to offer accommodation to Ukraine refugees