Russia, retaliating against Washington, asks 10 US diplomats to leave

The Russian foreign ministry said John Sullivan, the US ambassador to Russia, should return home for consultations too.

Washington said its own sanctions were payback for Russia interfering in last year’s US election, cyber hacking, bullying Ukraine and other alleged malign actions.

Russia denies all the US allegations.

Retaliation

Moscow’s response was mostly tit-for-tat.

It expelled 10 US diplomats and banned eight high-ranking current and former US officials from entering Russia for their contribution to what it called Washington’s “anti-Russian course”.

Those banned included FBI Director Christopher Wray, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, US Attorney-General Merrick Garland, and Secretary of Homeland Security
Alejandro Mayorkas.

Others to face an entry ban were Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons Michael Carvajal, Director of the Domestic Policy Council Susan Rice, John Bolton, the former US National Security Adviser, and ex-CIA head Robert James Woolsey.

The Russian foreign ministry said it would also end the activity in Russia of US funds and NGOs which it believes interfere in the country’s internal affairs, while Sergei Lavrov, the foreign minister, spoke of potential “painful” measures aimed at US business in Russia.

Other measures were designed to make it harder for the US embassy to staff itself.

Biden, after imposing sanctions on Moscow, had called for a de-escalation in tensions and had said it was vital the White House and Kremlin kept communication lines open.

He has also proposed that he and Putin meet for a summit.

“(Putin) has repeatedly said we’re ready to develop dialogue as much as our counterparts are ready to do so. In this sense it is probably positive that the views of the two heads of state coincide,” Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, told reporters before the Russian counter sanctions were unveiled.

“Their views categorically do not coincide when it comes to creating mutually beneficial relations and taking each other’s interests into account,” Peskov added, however.

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The foreign ministry said Biden’s Putin summit proposal had been initially well received, but was now being studied in the context of unfolding events.

“We would like to avoid a further escalation with the United States. We are ready for calm and professional dialogue, ” the ministry said.

“However the reality is that we hear one thing from Washington and in practice we see something completely different. There should be no doubt – not a single sanctions
‘wave’ will remain unpunished.”

The Kremlin says Putin has yet to decide whether he will take part in a US-led climate summit next week.

It has also said that it would be hard to quickly organise a Putin-Biden summit.

Reuters