Russia denounced Zelensky's demand as irrational

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday said the "whole population" of Russia is responsible for the war in Ukraine and called on Western nations to ban all Russian travelers as a punishment.

"Whichever kind of Russian … make them go to Russia," Zelensky told The Washington Post. "They'll understand then. They'll say, 'This [war] has nothing to do with us. The whole population can't be held responsible, can it?' It can. The population picked this government and they're not fighting it, not arguing with it, not shouting at it."

Zelensky claimed that the West banning Russian travelers was the only way to prevent Russia from annexing Ukrainian territory. Russian-installed officials in the Russian-controlled Ukrainian territories of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia have said they are planning to hold referendums to join the Russian Federation.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned the US would respond if Russia annexed Ukrainian territory, but it's not clear what that response could be as the US has already imposed so many sanctions on Moscow.