After Russia announced sanctions against several US political figures, White House press secretary Jen Psaki pointed out that it may have accidentally punished President Biden’s father.
“I would first note that President Biden is a junior, so they may have sanctioned his dad, may he rest in peace,” Ms Psaki told reporters on Tuesday.
The president’s name is Joe Biden, jr, not senior, as Russia’s foreign ministry mistakenly labeled him. Earlier on Tuesday, the country announced sanctions against several US officials, including Mr Biden and Ms Psaki herself, barring them from entering Russia. Ms Psaki seemed unperturbed by this punishment.
“The second piece I would say is that it won’t surprise any of you that none of us are planning tourist trips to Russia,” she said. “None of us have bank accounts that we won’t be able to access. So we will forge ahead.”
In addition to the president and press secretary, Russia sanctioned US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, CIA director William Burns, and, oddly, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.
In a Twitter post, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs made it clear it was retaliating for US sanctions against Russians.
“In response to a series of unprecedented sanctions prohibiting, among other things, entry into the United States for top Russian officials, effective March 15 this year, the Russian ‘stop list’ includes @JoeBiden, @SecBlinken and a number of other American figures on the basis of reciprocity,” the ministry tweeted on Tuesday.
Since the invasion of Ukraine began last month, the US and other nations have imposed severe sanctions on Russia. The measures have devastated the country’s economy, and experts believe Moscow may soon default on its debts.
The sanctions have also specifically targeted Russian president Vladimir Putin and his inner circle, freezing their assets and barring their entry into some countries, including the US.
The wording of Tuesday’s statement made it clear that Russia’s sanctions against American leaders, past and present, are meant as a response to those measures – “on the basis of reciprocity”.
As some experts pointed out, however, that reciprocity has its limits. While many Russian oligarchs depend on Western financial institutions, most Western officials don’t feel the same reliance on Russia.
“Russia has sanctioned Joe Biden and a range of other top US officials,” Max Seddon, the Moscow bureau chief of the Financial Times, explained mockingly on Twitter. “The main impact of this is they can now make corny jokes on cable news about how they won’t be able to access their Russian bank accounts or go on vacation in Siberia, I guess.”
Meanwhile, Ms Clinton appeared to take the news of her punishment well.
“I want to thank the Russian Academy for this Lifetime Achievement Award,” she tweeted.
