Russia has banned “500 Americans” from entering the country.
The move is in response to “anti-Russian sanctions” imposed by the US administration, according to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday.
The bleak list of names includes former President Barack Obama, former US ambassador Jon Huntsman, several US senators and the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Charles Q. Brown Jr. is included. It also includes CNN anchor Erin Burnett.
Hours earlier, at the G7 summit, the Biden administration announced new sanctions against Moscow for its war in Ukraine.
Here are other headlines you should know:
Zelensky’s visit to Japan: President Volodymyr Zelensky will personally travel to Japan to attend the G7 summit, according to officials familiar with the plan, an apparent show of Western trust and solidarity as the Ukrainian leader tries to retain vital support from allies. It will be Ukraine’s president’s first unexpected trip to Asia since Moscow invaded his country last February, as Kiev prepares for a long-awaited retaliatory offensive against Russia and amid intensifying airstrikes. Pressuring allied governments for more military aid.
Arab League meeting: Zelensky told Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia on Friday that “there are people here among you” who “turn a blind eye” to Ukraine’s suffering and urged them to conduct an “honest” analysis. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad attended the Arab League summit for the first time in a decade and was seen on cameras in the conference room minutes before Zelensky’s speech. Syria was one of only two countries in the world (along with North Korea) to recognize Russia’s claim to four Ukrainian territories last year.
On terrain: At least two explosions rocked the Russian-occupied city of Mariupol on Friday night, according to social media videos and accounts from residents on community channels. An adviser to the mayor of Mariupol in southeastern Ukraine says the blasts took place at a military base in Moscow. CNN could not independently verify the officials’ claims, and the Russian-installed local administration has yet to comment on the explosions or what caused them.
Meanwhile, the pace of the Ukrainian counterattack around Bakhmut slowed on Friday, but “very fierce fighting continues” in the eastern city, according to Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliyar. The Ukrainian army has claimed to have made advances in several areas in recent days, despite heavy shelling from Russian troops. But Maliar recognized that the Russian army had advanced within the limits of the city.
