MOSCOW, March 21. /ITAR-TASS/. At its extraordinary meeting Federation Council upper house of Russian parliament has adopted a statement over US, EU sanctions against several Russian state officials.

Russian lawmakers noted in the document that “sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union against several Russian state officials are an unprecedented act of political blackmail and an attempt to punish Russia for the country’s independent foreign political policy”.

On Friday, the European Union has expanded the list of Russians banned from entering the EU countries from 21 to 33. The financial assets of the people from the ‘black list’ will be frozen if found in European banks. The decision about imposing economic sanctions has not been made.

March 20, the US announced about the expansion of the initial blacklist including Russian officials. The US added to the black list another 20 Russian officials. Barack Obama also said that he had signed a decree that gives the opportunity to take punitive measures against key sectors of the Russian economy.

The American leader specified that the new measures are imposed against Russian high-ranking officials and other people who did not belong to authorities in Moscow, but who, as Washington believes, support actions of the Russian government against Ukraine. Obama added that one Russian bank was also included in the list.