US slaps new sanctions on Russia in poll spat

WASHINGTON. – United States President Joe Biden has signed an executive order that imposes a slate of new sanctions against Russia, as well as expelling 10 diplomats from the US, in response to a massive Russian hacking campaign that breached vital federal agencies, as well as for election interference.

The sanctions, foreshadowed for weeks by the US administration, represent the first retaliatory action announced against the Kremlin for last year’s hack, familiarly known as the SolarWinds breach.

In that intrusion, Russian hackers are believed to have infected widely used software with malicious code, enabling them to access the networks of at least nine agencies in what US officials believe was an intelligence-gathering operation aimed at mining government secrets.

The 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 actions,” the White House said in a statement.

Besides that hack, US officials last month alleged that Russian President Vladimir Putin authorised influence operations to help former US president Donald Trump in his unsuccessful bid for re- election, although there’s no evidence that Russia or anyone else changed votes or manipulated the outcome.

Russia has denied involvement in both the SolarWinds hack and the election meddling.

A Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: “The US’s aggressive behaviour will certainly lead to a decisive rebuff; there will be an inevitable response to the sanctions. Washington must realise that a price will be paid for bilateral relations’ degradation.”

The White House yesterday said the most recent punitive actions were also motivated by Moscow “targeting dissidents or journalists” and the undermining of “security in countries and regions important to the United States national security”, apparent references to the alleged Russian nerve-agent attack on opposition leader Alexey Navalny and a recent build-up of troops along the border of Ukraine.

In its statement yesterday, the administration also referenced a CIA assessment that Russia offered to pay bounties to members of the Taliban in Afghanistan to target US troops, saying that due to the “sensitivity of this matter”, the response is being handled through diplomatic, military and intelligence channels.

Speaking to CNN before the announcement, National Security adviser Jake Sullivan called the actions “proportionate measures to defend American interests in response to harmful Russian actions including cyber intrusions and election interference”.

“[Biden’s] goal is to provide a significant and credible response but not to escalate the situation. He believes that the United States and Russia can have a stable and predictable relationship,” said Sullivan, adding that the administration is calling on Putin to discuss the issues at a summit proposed by Biden in a phone call with the Russian leader on Tuesday.

The measures announced Thursday include sanctions on six Russian companies that support the country’s cyber activities, in addition to sanctions on 32 individuals and entities accused of attempting to interfere in last year’s presidential election, including by spreading disinformation. The 10 diplomats being expelled include representatives of Russian intelligence services, the White House said.

Before the official announcement, the Kremlin yesterday said the actions would make a possible Biden-Putin summit more difficult.

“What is currently being discussed – likely sanctions – will in no way help such a meeting. That is unambiguous,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

The Kremlin also summoned US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan on Wednesday and told him that Washington must refrain from introducing new sanctions on Russia if it wants to mend ties, a Russian foreign ministry spokesperson said.

In their call on Tuesday, Biden and Putin had said they would “continue dialogue”, after ties plummeted when the US president caused an uproar in Moscow last month by agreeing with a description of his Russian counterpart as a “killer”.

Still, it remained unclear whether the US actions would actually result in changed behaviour. – AP.