Biden says he is ready to ‘take further actions’ if Russia escalates against U.S., opens door to cooperation

April 18, 2021

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden on Thursday addressed the sweeping sanctions his administration imposed on Russia, a move that seeks to address a litany of malign behaviors and is expected to peeve Moscow.

“If Russia continues to interfere with our democracy, I’m prepared to take further actions to respond. It is my responsibility as president of the United States to do so,” Biden said from the White House.

“I was clear with President Putin that we could have gone further, but I chose not to do so, I chose to be proportionate,” Biden said of the measures, adding that he did not want to “kick off a cycle of escalation and conflict with Russia.”

Biden also said that he proposed in a phone call with Putin that the two meet in person this summer in Europe to discuss a range of pressing issues.

The Biden administration unleashed several sanctions that named 32 Russian individuals and entities for their roles in attempting to influence the 2020 U.S. presidential election, five individuals and three entities linked to Russia’s illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea, and six technology companies for supporting support Russian Intelligence Services.

In addition, the State Department announced the expulsion of 10 officials from the Russian Embassy in Washington.

Russia has long brushed off allegations of meddling in U.S. elections, human rights abuses, cyberattacks as well as reports of placing bounties on U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan.

Last month, the Biden administration issued its first sanctions on Russia over the alleged poisoning and subsequent detention of Putin critic Alexey Navalny.

Navalny, a leading critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, flew to Russia from Berlin, where he spent nearly half a year recovering for a nerve agent poisoning that took place last August. He was arrested at passport control and later sentenced to more than two years in prison. The U.S. reiterated its calls for his immediate release.

The Kremlin has repeatedly denied having a role in Navalny’s poisoning.