Kremlin: No plans to reduce list of unfriendly countries

Russia has no intention of reducing the list of unfriendly countries, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated.

"There are no such plans now," Peskov said in response to a question about potential changes to the list, per Caliber.Az.

Russia maintains several lists of unfriendly countries, which serve as a basis for diplomatic and economic countermeasures. The first such list was introduced in the spring of 2021 and initially included only two countries — the United States and the Czech Republic — resulting in restrictions on their diplomatic missions.

On March 5, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree establishing a temporary procedure for payments to foreign creditors from countries that had imposed sanctions against Russia. Under this decree, all financial settlements with creditors from these unfriendly nations must be conducted in rubles.

On the same day, the Russian government expanded the list of countries committing "unfriendly actions" against Russia, its companies, and its citizens. The list included the United States, Canada, all EU member states, the United Kingdom (including its Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories), as well as Albania, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Switzerland, Ukraine, Australia, Micronesia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan (which Russia recognizes as part of China), South Korea, and Japan.

Further expansions followed. On July 23, 2022, the Bahamas and the islands of Guernsey and Man were added to the list. Later, on October 30, Russia included 11 British overseas territories that had supported UK sanctions against Moscow. These included Bermuda, the British Antarctic Territory, the British Indian Ocean Territory, the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, Montserrat, the Pitcairn Islands, St. Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Akrotiri and Dhekelia, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. With the prior inclusion of Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, and Gibraltar, all 14 British Overseas Territories were formally designated as unfriendly to Russia.

In September 2024, the Russian government approved an additional list of 47 countries and territories accused of promoting "destructive neoliberal ideological attitudes that contradict traditional Russian spiritual and moral values." This new list included the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, and others. However, Slovakia and Hungary from the EU, as well as Türkiye from NATO, were notably absent.

By Tamilla Hasanova