Russia Officially Declares the United States an “Enemy” State

MOSCOW: The Kremlin has officially labeled the United States as an “enemy” state for the first time, signifying a significant escalation in the deteriorating relations between Moscow and Washington.

During a press briefing on Tuesday, Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin, stated, “We are now an enemy country for them, just as they are for us.”

Agentstvo, an independent Russian investigative website, confirmed that Russia had never previously designated the US as an enemy state.

Peskov’s comments were in response to claims by Scott Ritter, a former US Marine Corps intelligence officer, who alleged he was prevented from traveling to Russia. Ritter, who has a past conviction for sex offenses, had his passport confiscated by US border officials while attempting to fly from New York to Istanbul, en route to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in Russia.

Ritter recounted his experience to TASS, a Russian news agency, detailing how he was removed from his flight and barred from continuing his journey.

Peskov addressed this incident during the briefing, attributing it to “the latest manifestation of the rabid campaign” aimed at hindering Americans from engaging with Russia. He suggested that the move might be understandable only if it was related to Ritter’s former intelligence role.