Congressman Tom Reed is one 398 members of the U.S. House of Representatives included in a sanctions list by Russia.
Newsweek reported also included on that list is several Republican representatives who have been accused of making comments sympathetic to Russia, such as Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Matt Gaetz of Florida and Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the list of sanctioned members of Congress was a response to the United States placing sanctions on 328 members of the Russian State Duma, the country’s lower house of parliament, on March 24.
No explanation was given for how Russia chose the names for its list. Last week, Greene and Gaetz were two of only three House representatives who voted against banning the import of Russian oil.
The U.S. sanctions on the State Duma members target their property and assets, as well as banning them from dealings with American citizens. Few details were made available about Moscow’s sanctions against American politicians, aside from that they would “mirror” the U.S. measures and ban those on the list from visiting Russia.
Reed issued a statement saying, “We were proud to be on the list of House Members to be officially sanctioned by Russia. Being put on this permanent ‘stop list’ by a dictator like Putin can only be seen as a badge of honor. Watching the atrocities that Putin is committing on a daily basis against the people of Ukraine is heartbreaking, and it must stop. American leadership must project to Russia that we will achieve peace through strength.”
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