Including Biden and Blinken
\nTravel bans have only symbolic impact but form part of a constant downward spiral in Russia\u2019s relations with the US
\n LONDON
\nRussia said on Saturday it was banning entry to 963 Americans including US President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and CIA chief William Burns
\nThe travel bans have only symbolic impact but form part of a constant downward spiral in Russia\u2019s relations with the United States and its allies since its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.
\nRussia says in full control of Mariupol
\nRussia has claimed to have fully captured Mariupol in what would be its biggest victory yet in its war with Ukraine, marking an end to a weeks-long attack that left the strategic port city in ruins.
\nRussian defence minister Sergei Shoigu reported to President Vladimir Putin on Friday the \u201ccomplete liberation\u201d of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, and the city as a whole, spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.
\n\u201cThe territory of the Azovstal metallurgical plant \u2026 has been completely liberated,\u201d the defence ministry said in a statement. It said a total of 2,439 Ukrainian fighters who had been holed up at the steelworks had surrendered since Monday, including more than 500 on Friday.
\nA defence ministry video purporting to show the surrender showed a line of unarmed men approaching Russian soldiers outside the plant and giving their names. The Russians then carefully searched each man and their possessions and also appeared to be asking them to show their tattoos.
\nHours earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the last defenders at the steelworks had been told by Ukraine\u2019s military that they could get out and save their lives. The Ukrainians did not immediately confirm the Russian figures on Azovstal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Including Biden and Blinken Travel bans have only symbolic impact but form part of a constant downward spiral in Russia\u2019s relations with the US LONDON Russia said on Saturday it was banning entry to 963 Americans including US President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and CIA chief William Burns The travel bans have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":261896,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7546,503,338,7547],"class_list":{"0":"post-261855","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-americans","9":"tag-joe-biden","10":"tag-russia","11":"tag-travel-ban"},"yoast_head":"\n