WASHINGTON: The United States announced economic sanctions against Russia on Thursday and the expulsion of 10 diplomats in retaliation for what Washington says is the Kremlin’s US election interference, a massive cyber attack and other hostile activity.
President Joe Biden ordered a widening of restrictions on US banks trading in Russian government debt, expelled 10 diplomats who include alleged spies, and sanctioned 32 individuals alleged to have tried to meddle in the 2020 presidential election, the White House said.
Biden’s executive order "sends a signal that the United States will impose costs in a strategic and economically impactful manner on Russia if it continues or escalates its destabilizing international action," the White House said in a statement.
The statement listed in first place Moscow’s "efforts to undermine the conduct of free and fair democratic elections and democratic institutions in the United States and its allies and partners."
This referred to allegations that Russian intelligence agencies mounted persistent disinformation and dirty tricks campaigns during the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, in part to help Donald Trump’s candidacy.
The White House said the sanctions also respond to "malicious cyber activities against the United States and its allies and partners," referring to the massive so-called SolarWinds hack of US government computer systems last year.
The statement also called out Russia’s extraterritorial "targeting" of dissidents and journalists and undermining of security in countries important to US national security.
In addition, the Department of Treasury, together with the European Union, Australia, Britain and Canada, sanctioned eight individuals and entities associated with Russia’s occupation of Crimea in Ukraine.
In Brussels, the Nato military alliance said US allies "support and stand in solidarity with the United States, following its 15 April announcement of actions to respond to Russia’s destabilizing activities."Meanwhile, Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that a Russian response to new US sanctions was "inevitable" and that the ministry had summoned US ambassador to Moscow John Sullivan.
"The United States is not ready to come to terms with the objective reality that there is a multipolar world that excludes American hegemony," Zakharova said in televised remarks. "We have repeatedly warned the United States about the consequences of its hostile steps, which dangerously increase the degree of confrontation between our countries."
"A response to sanctions is inevitable," she added. Zakharova also said that Russia’s foreign ministry had summoned US ambassador Sullivan for a conversation that she said "will be difficult for the American side."
The sanctions come after tensions soared in recent weeks, with Russia massing troops on its border with Ukraine and Kiev’s Western allies calling on Moscow to back down.
Ties had already plunged last month when US President Joe Biden agreed with a description of Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "killer". "Washington must realise that it will have to pay for the degradation of bilateral relations," Zakharova said Thursday.
"The responsibility for what is happening lies entirely with the United States." Relations have been in free fall since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine and fighting erupted between Kiev’s forces and pro-Russia separatists in the east.
Russia´s foreign intelligence service, the SVR, on Thursday dismissed US claims that it was involved in cyber attacks on US infrastructure as "nonsense" after Washington imposed sanctions on Moscow.