After Russian officials issued a sanction against Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state appeared to take the news well. On Twitter, she thanked them for it.
“I want to thank the Russian Academy for this Lifetime Achievement Award,” Ms Clinton tweeted.
On Tuesday, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs unveiled sanctions against several US political figures. The list includes President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and – oddly, since she’s out of office – Ms Clinton.
“In response to a series of unprecedented sanctions prohibiting, among other things, entry into the United States for top Russian officials, effective March 15 this year, the Russian ‘stop list’ includes @JoeBiden, @SecBlinken and a number of other American figures on the basis of reciprocity,” the foreign ministry tweeted.
Since the invasion of Ukraine began last month, the United States and other nations have imposed severe sanctions on Russia. Some of them specifically targeted Russian president Vladimir Putin and his inner circle, freezing their assets and barring their entry into some countries, including the US.
The wording of Tuesday’s statement made it clear that Russia’s sanctions against American leaders, past and present, are meant as a retaliation against those measures – “on the basis of reciprocity.”
But judging by her sarcastic note of gratitude, Ms Clinton seemed unperturbed by the notion that she can no longer visit Russia. Another sanctioned official, White House press secretary Jen Psaki, also mocked the punishment.
“It won’t surprise any of you that none of us are planning tourist trips to Russia,” Ms Psaki told reporters on Tuesday. “None of us have bank accounts that we won’t be able to access, so we will forge ahead.”
Ms Clinton has been vocal on multiple political subjects this week. On Tuesday’s episode of her podcast, You and Me Both, she interviewed New York mayor Eric Adams. As Mr Adams laid out his approach to fighting crime in the city, Ms Clinton enthusiastically agreed.
“I am not going to allow the numerical minority that are the loudest to dictate how we’re going to keep my city safe now and what we’re going to do in the long term,” Mr Adams said. “It is not what happens in tweets; it’s what happens on our streets.”
“Amen!” Ms Clinton replied. “Oh, preach! Preach, Mayor! That is music to my ears!”
