US Sen. Chuck Grassley added to list of Americans banned from traveling to Russia

Russia on Tuesday added Iowa U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley to a list of more than 900 prominent Americans banned from entering the country as the U.S. government continues to levy sanctions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced bans against Grassley, first lady Jill Biden and about two-dozen others Tuesday. Grassley was not among the 963 politicians, celebrities and business executives blacklisted in May, but the rest of Iowa's congressional delegation was previously banned.

Grassley tweeted Tuesday that he considers the ban to be "a badge of honor" as people are "needlessly dying bc of Putin's unjustified war."

"Ive been invited to Russia 4 times while in the Senate," he said in the tweet. "I don't hv plans to go again so Putin sanctioning me is no big deal."

The Hill reported that White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters traveling aboard Air Force One Tuesday that "the Russian capacity for these kinds of cynical moves is basically bottomless, so it probably shouldn’t come as a surprise to any of us that they would do something like this."

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Iowa U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst said in May that she considers "getting sanctioned by an autocratic, murderous thug a pretty clear sign that I’m doing something right."

"Vladimir Putin’s lawless, unprovoked, and horrific war on Ukraine will be remembered by history as a despicable and unforgiving act," she said in the statement. "Putin can put my name at the top of his list."

The updated list was published following President Joe Biden's meeting with the Group of Seven in Europe. The G7 nations are moving closer to capping the price that countries can pay for Russian oil, a senior U.S. official said.

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The official said leaders aim to further restrict Putin's cash flow, bring down prices at the gas pump and provide greater stability to energy markets.

Leaders were said to be zeroing in on the way Russian oil is shipped. The U.S. official said G-7 leaders are planning to direct their governments to take urgent steps to design a price cap mechanism for countries that do not participate in the economic alliance.

Sullivan told reporters that an agreement on price caps would mark "pretty dramatic step forward," adding that it would amount to "one of the more significant outcomes of G-7 summit."

USAToday contributed.

Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley banned from traveling to Russia