Daily US Times: The United States has announced sanctions against Russia on Thursday in response to what it says are cyber-attacks and other hostile activities.
White House said that the sanctions, which target dozens of Russian officials and entities, aim to deter “Russia’s harmful foreign activities”, the White House said.
A statement from the White House says Russian intelligence was behind last year’s massive “SolarWinds” cyber-attacks, and accuses Russia of interference in the 2020 election.
Moscow denies all of these allegations and says it will respond in kind.
The sanctions announced are detailed in an executive order signed by President Biden. They come at a tense time for relations between Russia and the US.
US targeted more than a dozen government entities and seven Russian officials last month over the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. Moscow says it was not involved.
In a telephone conversation with President Vladimir Putin of Russia on Tuesday, President Biden vowed to defend US national interests “firmly”, while proposing a meeting with Mr Putin to find areas where the two countries could work together.
President Joe Biden described his decision to impose sanctions on Russia as “proportionate”.
He told reporters: “I was clear with President Putin that we could have gone further, but I chose not to do so. The United States is not looking to kick off a cycle of escalation and conflict with Russia.”
The US President added that the way forwards is through “thoughtful dialogue and diplomatic process”.
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