US President Joe Biden on Thursday announced new sanctions against Russia in response to the Kremlin’s interference in the US elections and Russian hacker operations in government agencies and private companies.
According to the White House announcement, the United States has imposed sanctions on 32 Russian entities and individuals for disinformation campaigns aimed at interfering with the 2020 presidential election, in which Biden was elected by defeating the Republican Donald Trump.
The US government has also joined with European countries and announced measures against eight people and entities associated with the Russian occupation in Crimea. The region annexed by Russia in 2014 was the scene of military movements signs of a diplomatic crisis involving Moscow, Washington, Kiev and NATO.
In addition, Biden signed an executive order directing the US Treasury to prohibit US financial institutions from participating in certain specific negotiations involving the Russian market. The decree also targets six Russian companies allegedly supporting the activities of Vladimir Putin’s intelligence service.
The White House also announced that ten Russian diplomats will be expelled from the country’s mission in Washington as part of an effort to inflict a noticeable impact on Putin’s government.
Even before the announcement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would consider the sanctions imposed by the United States illegal and react on the basis of the principle of reciprocity, responding in kind.
In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said a response to Biden’s decision would be inevitable and called on the US ambassador to Moscow to provide an explanation, a move that traditionally reflects a deterioration in diplomatic relations between the countries.