Russia tells Western media after ban from major forum: 'No business as usual'

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov speaks on the phone before a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in Moscow, Russia May 25, 2023. REUTERS

Russia will take into account the "behaviour" of Western media and attitude to Russian reporters abroad when deciding whether to accredit their journalists for major forums in Russia, the state-owned TASS news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying on Saturday.

Journalists from countries that Russia calls "unfriendly" did not get accreditation for the ongoing St Petersburg International Economic Forum.

Asked whether Moscow will allow Western journalists to attend forums in Russia in the future, Peskov said: "Let's see what the regime will be, how they (foreign media) will behave."

Peskov added that the issue of giving accreditations would also depend on how Russian journalists were treated in "unfriendly" countries. Moscow uses that label for states which imposed sanctions over what the Kremlin calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine.

"Everything will depend on the attitude towards our journalists in foreign - unfriendly - countries," TASS cited Kremlin spokesman as saying.

"Business as usual will no longer happen. We will be ready to receive them (Western journalists), but we will not tolerate such treatment of our journalists abroad."