Russia has said it has barred 963 US citizens from entering the country, including US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

In addition, the head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), William Burns, is banned from entering Russia, reports

skynews

.

The State Department said the move was a response to US sanctions on Russia and warned that "hostile actions" would continue to receive an "appropriate response".

"Russia does not seek confrontation and is open to honest dialogue with mutual respect, separating the American people, who respect it, from the US authorities, which encourage Russophobia," the ministry said in a statement.

The entry ban has only a symbolic meaning, but implies the continuing deterioration of relations between Russia on the one hand and the United States and its allies on the other since the start of the attack on Ukraine on 24 February.

/ Telegraphy /