Russia to expel 10 US diplomats in response to Biden actions
VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, Associated Press
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1of11Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks to the media during his and Serbia s Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic joint news conference following their talks in Moscow, Russia, Friday, April 16, 2021. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Moscow will order 10 U.S. diplomats to leave Russia in a retaliatory response to the U.S. sanctions. Lavrov also said Moscow will add eight U.S. officials to its sanctions list and move to restrict and stop the activities of U.S. nongovernmental organizations from interfering in Russia s politics. (Yuri Kochetkov/Pool Photo via AP)Yuri Kochetkov/APShow MoreShow Less
Russia to expel 10 US diplomats in response to Washington
Biden administration hits Russia with sanctions By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV | April 16, 2021 at 10:51 AM CDT - Updated April 16 at 12:28 PM
MOSCOW (AP) â Russia on Friday responded to a barrage of new U.S. sanctions by saying it would expel 10 U.S. diplomats and take other retaliatory moves in a tense showdown with Washington.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also said Moscow will add eight U.S. officials to its sanctions list and move to shut down those U.S. nongovernment organizations that remain in Russia to end what he described as their meddling in Russiaâs politics.
The top Russian diplomat said the Kremlin suggested that U.S. Ambassador John Sullivan follow the example of his Russian counterpart and head home for consultations. Russia will also deny the U.S. Embassy the possibility of hiring personnel from Russia and third countries as support staff, limit visits by U.S. diplomats serving short-term stints at the embassy, and tighten requirements for U.S. diplomats travel in the country.
The others banned from entering Russia are Susan Rice, a former U.N. ambassador and now head of the Domestic Policy Council; John Bolton, who was a national security adviser under former President Donald Trump; James Woolsey, a former CIA director; and Michael Carvajal, director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Kremlin Tells U.S. Ambassador to Return to America, Talk to White House: Russian Foreign Minister
On 4/16/21 at 1:57 PM EDT
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested that John Sullivan, the U.S. ambassador to Russia, return to the States to consult with the White House on Friday in a response to new sanctions the U.S. has placed on Russia, according to the
Associated Press.
The sanctions come as punishment for Russia s efforts to interfere with the 2020 election and the SolarWinds hack of federal agencies that the Kremlin has since denied. We have repeatedly warned the United States about the consequences of its hostile moves that are dangerously raising the level of confrontation between our countries, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement on Thursday.
Russia s economic potential and its global reach are limited compared with the Soviet Union that competed with the U.S for international influence during the Cold War. Still, Russia s nuclear arsenal and its leverage in many parts of the world make it a power that Washington needs to reckon with.
Aware of that, President Joe Biden called for de-escalating tensions and held the door open for cooperation with Russia in certain areas. Biden said he told Putin in Tuesday s call that he chose not to impose tougher sanctions for now and proposed to meet in a third country in the summer.