MOSCOW, March 16. /TASS/. Personal sanctions will be taken against the leaders of unfriendly countries, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media on Wednesday.

"They can and should be expected," Peskov said, when asked if Moscow might impose sanctions, including personal ones, on the leaders of countries blacklisted as unfriendly ones.

On Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry imposed sanctions on a number of US officials. In retaliation for Washington’s similar measures Moscow banned from entry US President Joe Biden and twelve other senior US officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, CIA Director William Burns, presidential national security adviser Jake Sullivan, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki and the president’s son Hunter Biden. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that in the near future Moscow would expand the list of officials banned from entering Russia, including some top US officials.

Peskov said the personal list of US officials placed under sanctions had been agreed with President Vladimir Putin.

Earlier, the Russian government approved a list of countries and territories responsible for hostile actions against Russian companies and citizens. The list includes the US, Canada, the EU countries, Britain (including Jersey, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands and Gibraltar), Ukraine, Montenegro, Albania, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, North Macedonia, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Micronesia, New Zealand, Singapore and Taiwan (considered as China’s territory but governed by its own administration since 1949). Switzerland is present on this list, too. These countries and territories have imposed or joined sanctions against Russia since the beginning of Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine.