Russia Bans Entry to 21 British Lawmakers

Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced Wednesday that it banned 21 British lawmakers from entering the country in response to London’s “confrontational” stance toward Moscow.

The ministry said in a blistering statement that the United Kingdom “demonizes” Russia to reduce its international influence and “further pumps the neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv with weapons.”

“London does not intend to abandon its open confrontation with Russia,” the ministry said, describing “Russophobia and the desire to destroy Russian statehood” as the U.K.’s key foreign policy goals.

The Russian ministry also accused British MPs of publicly calling for the seizure of frozen Russian assets. 

Among the 21 MPs on Russia’s entry ban is Lord David Alton, who has been involved in discussions around human rights and corruption sanctions named in honor of whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky.

The entry ban came the same day as London hosted Ukraine peace talks, which were attended by U.S. and European officials, as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the U.K. Treasury said it has frozen more than 25 billion pounds ($32 billion) in Russian assets and sanctioned more than 2,000 Russia-linked individuals and entities.

Around $300 billion in Russian Central Bank assets are frozen in the Group of Seven (G7) countries and the EU. Last week, the U.K. sent Ukraine 752 million pounds ($990 million) to buy air defenses and artillery as part of the G7’s $50 billion in loans backed by earnings from the frozen Russian assets.

Britain and other Western nations have not yet agreed on taking control of the assets themselves.

In February, on the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion, the U.K. unveiled more than 100 sanctions against those aiding Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.