Citing election fraud and more, U.S. hits Russia with sanctions
The U.S. government launched diplomatic and financial offensives against Russian officials and businesses on Thursday, holding Moscow to account for a series of wrongs, ranging from US election tampering to the annexation of Crimea.
The move included the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats from the U.S. and sanctions on several organizations and individuals to retaliate for, among other things, a critical cyberattack it blames on Moscow, the White House said on Thursday.
Among the expelled diplomats are five employees of Russian secret services, the U.S. government said.
In addition, U.S. banks will be barred from trading in fresh Russian state debt starting on June 14, according to the statement.
“The Biden administration has been clear that the United States desires a relationship with Russia that is stable and predictable,” read a White House statement.
“We do not think that we need to continue on a negative trajectory. However, we have also been clear - publicly and privately - that we will defend our national interests and impose costs for Russian government actions that seek to harm us.”
The statement noted that the goal was to cause Russia pain “in a strategic and economically impactful manner” if it would seek to escalate “destabilizing international actions.”
The list of activities the U.S. says it wants to warn Russia against include: tampering with U.S. elections; cyberattacks; the use of corruption to influence foreign governments; taking actions against dissidents or journalists; and violating principles of international law.
The statements also alluded to allegations that Russian officials had offered bounties to militants in Afghanistan who killed U.S. troops.
President Joe Biden has raised the stakes in his relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin of late.
It has only been weeks since, during a broadcast interview, Biden responded affirmatively when asked if he thought Putin was “a killer.”
The U.S. says the list of crimes that can be laid at the Kremlin’s feet is relatively long. They include alleged tampering with the 2016 elections and a series of cyberattacks targeting Solarwinds, a U.S. information technology firm that counted key U.S. government agencies and businesses among its clients.
The U.S. also does not recognize Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and has condemned its support for separatist militants in eastern Ukraine. It has also condemned Moscow for the attempted assassination of dissident Alexei Navalny in eastern Russia last year. Navalny is currently on a hunger strike in a Russian prison.
It’s a sharp change in tack out of Washington from the last four years, where the administration of Donald Trump was often seen as more friendly to the Kremlin. Democrats routinely accused Trump of being too cosy with Putin.
However, Biden just this week proposed a summit with Putin.
Moscow has denied all the charges against it. Additionally, before the sanctions were officially announced, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the TASS news agency it would consider any sanctions illegal. After the U.S. announcement, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said there would be a reaction from Russia.
The Treasury Department said that the sanctions related to the alleged election tampering will affect 32 entities and individuals. It also said that, in coordination with Australia, Britain, Canada and the European Union, it had levied sanctions on eight individuals and entities linked to the Crimean occupation.
“These actions are intended to hold Russia to account for its reckless actions,” read a State Department statement. “We will act firmly in response to Russian actions that cause harm to us or our allies and partners.”