U.S. expels 10 Russian diplomats, Russia warns to oppose strongly

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions against Russia and expelled 10 diplomats in response to Moscow's alleged election interference and cyber activities, reported Xinhua.

The White House said in a statement that President Joe Biden had signed a new sanctions executive order against Russia.

According to the order, the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a directive that prohibits U.S. financial institutions from participation in the primary market for ruble or non-ruble denominated bonds issued after June 14, 2021, by Russia's central bank, the national wealth fund, or finance ministry.

The Treasury also designated six Russian technology companies that "provide support to the Russian Intelligence Services' cyber program," and 32 entities and individuals related to the 2020 U.S. presidential election interference, the statement said.

In addition, the Treasury, together with the European Union, Britain, Australia, and Canada, blacklisted eight individuals and entities over the Crimea issue.

The United States is expelling 10 personnel from the Russian diplomatic mission in Washington D.C., the statement added, saying the personnel "include representatives of Russian intelligence services."

The statement also accused the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service of carrying out the alleged SolarWinds hack last year.

These measures came days after Biden warned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a phone call that the United States will "act firmly in defense of its national interests in response to Russia's actions, such as cyber intrusions and election interference."

The Kremlin repeatedly said that claims of Russia's alleged meddling in the 2020 U.S. elections were baseless and regretful, calling them a pretext for additional sanctions.

Relations between Washington and Moscow have been adversarial for recent years. The two were bitterly divided over Ukraine, Syria, and cybersecurity issues, and they mutually accused the other of domestic political interference.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova on Thursday in response to new anti-Russian sanctions and the expulsion of diplomats said that Washington must realize that it will "pay a price" for the degradation of U.S.-Russian relations.

"Such an aggressive behavior will be strongly opposed. A response to sanctions will be inevitable ... Responsibility for what is happening lies entirely with the United States," Zakharova told a press conference.

U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan has been summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry for a conversation that will be "tough" for the American side, she said.

"We have repeatedly warned the United States of the consequences of its hostile actions, which confirm the degree of confrontation between our countries," Zakharova said.

"Such a (political) course, as was already stressed on several occasions, does not meet the interests of the peoples of the two leading nuclear powers, which bear the historical responsibility for the fate of the world," she said.

"In a telephone conversation with the Russian president, Joe Biden expressed interest in the normalization of Russian-U.S. relations. But the actions of his administration suggest otherwise," the spokesperson noted.

"The United States is not ready to come to terms with the objective reality of a multi-polar world that excludes the American hegemony, and is pursuing a policy of sanction pressure and interference in internal affairs," she said.