Australia Has Been Added To Russia’s List Of “Unfriendly” Countries, Here’s What That Means
It's not as scary as you might think.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has added Australia to his hit-list of countries taking “unfriendly actions against Russia” after sanctions were introduced following the invasion of Ukraine. But that doesn’t mean there is any immediate threat of war or a military response in Australia.
According to a tweet from Russian news outlet Ria, which has since been translated by CNN analyst Brianna Golodryga, the Kremlin has released a list of countries that are considered to have been “unfriendly” to Russia.
The Kremlin has approved a list of countries who have been “unfriendly” to Russia. They include:
Australia, UK, EU countries, Iceland, Canada, Liechtenstein, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Korea, San Marino, Singapore, USA, Taiwan, Ukraine, Montenegro, Switzerland, Japan https://t.co/YQi2SPyYJb
— Bianna Golodryga (@biannagolodryga) March 7, 2022
“The countries and territories mentioned in the list imposed or joined the sanctions against Russia after the start of a special military operation of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine,” a statement from Russian state media agency TASS said.
Australia joins the UK, EU, the US, Canada, New Zealand and a number of other countries that are now considered “unfriendly”. These countries have also imposed sanctions on Russia, which has had a detrimental impact on the economy.
It’s also worth noting that Ukraine — the country that Russia invaded — is also included on the list. Until recently, the list of unfriendly countries only included the US and the Czech Republic.
While the decree is a significant move from Russia, there is no immediate threat of a military response to the “unfriendly” countries. Instead, Russia will invoke an economic response to countries deemed unfriendly.
The Kremlin has noted that Russian citizens, companies and the state itself will now be able to pay back foreign creditors from “unfriendly” countries in rubles — the Russian currency that has since hit an all-time low.
Additionally, any corporate deals with companies based in “unfriendly” countries must be approved by a Russian government commission. However, it’s worth noting that many countries have already imposed regulations on businesses trading with Russia.
The news comes a day after Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for China to do more to stop Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Australian government is yet to respond to its inclusion on the list.