A man passes by a billboard with an image of Putin and lettering "Strong president - Strong Russia!" in Simferopol, Crimea, on January 18, 2018. (Xinhua/AFP)
WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Treasury announced on Friday that it has added 21 individuals and nine entities related to Russia and Ukraine to its sanctions list.
The designated persons included several Russian officials, and high-level officials in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People' s Republic, said the Treasury in a statement.
Companies involving in building infrastructure in Crimea were among the ones targeted.
This action underscores the U.S. government's opposition to Russia's occupation of Crimea and refusal to recognize its attempted "annexation" of the peninsula, said the Treasury.
As a result of the Treasury's action, any property or interests of the designated persons in the United States will be blocked and transactions by Americans involving these persons are generally prohibited.
The designation came as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Davos, Switzerland on Friday.
Crimea separated from Ukraine and rejoined Russia in March 2014 following a local referendum, with almost 97 percent of the residents voting for the reunification.
However, Western countries insisted that the peninsula was illegally annexed and they have imposed several rounds of economic sanctions against Russia since 2014.
In Russia, lawmakers responded defiantly. Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the foreign affairs committee for the lower house of parliament, was quoted by RIA Novosti as saying that Moscow would take actions to retaliate.
"This is a policy of maximum containment of a growing Russia. The Americans have declared a trade war against us," another member of the lower chamber, Vladimir Dzhabaraov, was quoted as saying.