US announces more sanctions against Russian entities and expulsion of 10 diplomats from the Kremlin

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on Russia for its alleged interference in the 2020 presidential elections and its supposed role in the cyber attack massive SolarWinds, in addition to imposing sanctions related to Russian actions in Ukraine and Afghanistan.

President Joe Biden ordered a extension of restrictions on US banks trading Russian public debt, expelled 10 diplomats including suspected spies Yes sanctioned 32 people who allegedly tried to meddle in the 2020 presidential election, the White House said.

Executive Order of Biden “This sends a signal that the United States will strategically and economically impose costs on Russia if it continues or intensifies its destabilizing international action.”said the White House.

In response, the Kremlin summoned the American ambassador to Moscow Yes considered “inevitable” answering machine at the decision of the United States.

The sanctions, put forward for weeks by the administration, represent the first retaliatory measures announced against the Kremlin for the SolarWinds cyberattack. In this intrusion, Russian hackers allegedly infected widely used software with malicious code, allowing them to gain access to the networks of at least nine agencies in what US officials see as an intelligence gathering operation aimed at extracting government secrets.

In addition, US officials claimed last month that the Russian President Vladimir Poutine authorized operations of interference to help Donald Trump in his failed candidacy for re-election to the presidency, although there is no evidence that Russia or anyone else changed the votes or manipulated the outcome.

The measures announced Thursday include sanctions against six Russian companies that support the country’s cyber activities, in addition to sanctions 32 individuals and entities accused of attempting to interfere in the presidential elections last year, even by spreading disinformation.

Between the 10 expelled diplomats meet with Russian intelligence officialssaid the White House.

The White House also said that Biden was using diplomatic, military and intelligence channels to respond to reports that Russia was encouraging the Taliban to attack US and Allied troops in Afghanistan. based on the intelligence community’s “best ratings”.

Last year there were reports of supposed “rewards”, and the Trump administration has been criticized for not raising the issue directly with Russia. The White House has not publicly confirmed the reports. “The safety and well-being of US military personnel, as well as that of our allies and partners, is a top US priority,” the White House said Thursday.

In addition, the treasury department, together with European Union, Australia, Britain Yes Canada, sanctioned eight people and entities associated with the Russian occupation of Crimea in Ukraine.

Following the American announcement, NATO has expressed its support and “solidarity” with the United States before the adoption of sanctions for what he called “Destabilizing activities”, especially in Ukraine Yes Georgia.

Impaired relationships

Sanctions, intended to send a clear message of retribution to Russia and to deter similar acts in the future, surely They will worsen an already strained relationship between the United States and Russia.

Since January, and with the arrival at the White House of the new president, relations between Moscow and Washington have deteriorated further and very fast. The Russian ambassador to the United States was summoned for consultation after Joe Biden called his Russian counterpart a “murderer”.

Russia, to which new sanctions have already been applied this year, was convicted of imprisoning the country’s main opponent, Alexey Navalny and, according to Washington, it was caught in the act in several hacking cases.

In addition, Moscow has deployed troops with tens of thousands of troops on the border with Ukraine, accusing Kiev of planning an offensive against pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Russia has so far ignored all Western calls to reduce troops in the region.

In this context, Biden called Putin on Tuesday to offer him a summit in a third country.. The Kremlin did not immediately accept the proposal, but welcomed the invitation.

However, Thursday the Kremlin ruled that the new American sanctions would not favor the organization of the summit proposed by the White House.

“What is currently being discussed – probable sanctions – will in no way favor such a meeting”, said the spokesperson for the Russian Presidency, Dmitry Peskov, adding that it is a question “of the two presidents whether this will prevent it or not”.

“We condemn any initiative of sanctions, we consider them illegal”added.

Consequences of the SolarWinds intrusion

It was not clear whether the actions of the United States would actually lead to a change in Russian behavior.especially since previous US measures have failed to put an end to Russian cyberattacks.

The Obama administration expelled diplomats from the United States in 2016 in response to interference in that year’s presidential election. And although Asset he was often reluctant to criticize Putin, his administration also expelled diplomats in 2018 for the alleged poisoning by Russia of a former intelligence officer in Britain.

U.S. officials are still grappling with the consequences of the SolarWinds intrusion, that have affected agencies such as the Treasury, Justice, Energy and Homeland Security departments, and they are still assessing what information may have been stolen. The breach revealed vulnerabilities in the supply chain, as well as the weaknesses of the federal government’s own cyber defenses.

These actions would represent the second major round of sanctions imposed by the Biden administration against Russia.. Last month, the United States sanctioned seven middle and senior Russian officials, as well as more than a dozen government entities, for a near-fatal nerve agent attack on opposition leader Alexei Navalny and imprisonment that followed.

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