SYDNEY, May 21. /ITAR-TASS/. Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop has announced about expanding sanctions on 38 individuals and 11 legal entities from Russia and Ukraine. March 19, Australia has imposed similar penalties on 12 Russian and Ukrainian citizens.

The Australian minister said the new sanctions reaffirm “a clear and unequivocal support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine”.

Bishop’s statement says Australia continues urging Russia to fulfill its international liabilities, including the duties of permanent UN SC member, in maintaining international peace and security.

A source in Australia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told ITAR-TASS that the list of sanctioned people, who were banned from entering the country, wouldn’t be published, and the names would be announced only after the legislative act stipulating the rules of introducing sanctions is amended.

According to the ministry’s spokesperson, this is made to avoid the risk of siphoning off funds from Australia.

Medvedev: Sanctions do not have any substantial effect so far

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in his interview with Bloomberg TV emphasized that the US sanctions against Russia mean that the US administration is heading towards a dead-end. “We are not advocates of sanctions, we neither even comment them nor respond to them in fact, although we could have possibly done something unpleasant and disgusting to the states that impose these sanctions,” he said. The head of the Cabinet noted that the sanctions themselves did not show any substantial effect so far. “Sanctions are needed by politicians to harden to their views, to demonstrate their might and power,” he believes.

Medvedev expressed confidence that these steps were not critical for Russian economy. “None of these scenarios is catastrophic for the economy of our country, although some restrictions might be of course rather painful,” the prime minister noted. “There is no doubt that such a country as Russia is able to withstand absolutely all kind of sanctions or the so-called sanctions,” he stressed.