US Senator John McCain has issued a hilarious response to sanctions imposed against him by Russia.
"I guess this means my spring break in Siberia is off, my Gazprom stock is lost, and my secret bank account in Moscow is frozen," McCain said in a statement.
"Nonetheless, I will never cease my efforts on behalf of the freedom, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including Crimea."
The US and Russia have gone sanction-mad in the last few days. Barack Obama announced tough new sanctions against "cronies" of Vladimir Putin and a "croney" bank they favoured, Bank Rossiya.
In response, Russia has imposed sanctions against nine American officials — McCain, House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senators Robert Menendez, Mary Landrieu and Dan Coats, White House senior advisor Dan Pfeiffer, and deputy national security advisers Ben Rhodes and Caroline Atkinson.
"If standing up for #democracy & sovereignty in #Ukraine means I'm #SanctionedByPutin, I'll take it," Menendez tweeted.
"Proud to be included on a list of those willing to stand against Putin's aggression," Boehner tweeted.
"While I'm disappointed that I won't be able to go on vacation with my family in Siberia this summer, I am honoured to be on this list," Coats said in a statement, blatantly stealing McCain's joke.
Barack Obama has warned that he has just signed an executive order that would give the administration authority to extend sanctions to whole sectors of the Russian economy.
Look, guys, you've had your fun with the sanctioning. There'll be no more sanctioning today.
