January 16, 2026Jan 16, 2026
KCNA Pyongyang Times

Endless Diplomatic Friction

Date: 27/09/2022 | Source: Pyongyang Times | Read original version at source

In the context of the aggravating political and military confrontation between Russia on one side and the US and the West on the other over the Ukrainian situation, antagonism and friction in the field of diplomacy also remain unabated.

In the wake of the Ukrainian crisis, the US and the West expelled more than 400 Russian diplomats in groups in a bid to tarnish the external image of Russia and isolate it in the international arena. These days, they are also applying all kinds of sanctions including the seizure of property, prohibition of entry and suspension of visa issuance against individual companies and citizens, to say nothing of the senior government officials, institutions and state-run enterprises.

A few days ago, the Americans made a decision on seizing the assets of Lukoil Company of Russia based in the US, and Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland announced that they would impose a complete ban on the entry of Russian citizens into their countries from September 19.

Such an unfriendly act of the US and the West is giving rise to the strong reaction of Russia.

With regard to the escalating sanctions against Russian citizens by the Biden administration, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on September 5 to clarify its hardline position that it would add 20-odd American personages of political, business, academic and cultural circles, including the Secretary of Commerce and congressmen, in the list of prohibited entrants, and would continue to deal a decisive counterblow to the hostile acts of the US.

Shortly afterwards, on September 7, the Russian Foreign Ministry declared that it has added high-ranking military figures of the EU member states as well as the businessmen involved in arms support to Ukraine to the list of prohibited entrants as part of the countermeasure to the unfriendly acts of the EU which had imposed sanctions to individuals and organizations of Russia.

Now, the foreign media and analysts predict that this fierce diplomatic friction will not be settled easily as the US and the West remain unchanged in their strategic goal to isolate and weaken Russia for their hegemony, and there has existed deep-rooted mistrust and hostility historically among these countries.

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