[ad_1]
Russia will expel ten US diplomats and restrict the work of those remaining in Moscow in response to what will happen sanctions imposed by President Joe Biden on Thursday who stopped a dramatic escalation of measures.
Moscow will ban Russians and other non-Americans from working on U.S. missions in the country and stop a program that allows U.S. State Department employees to make unlimited visits to Russia, in addition to adding eight U.S. officials. US government on its own sanctions list.
In a sign that Biden’s two-handed approach, to impose new sanctions on Russia for alleged past actions, also offering to “normalize” relationships – It may succeed, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that Moscow had “positive reactions” to the proposal holding a joint summit between Biden and President Vladimir Putin.
The U.S. announced on Thursday a series of new sanctions against Russia for what it said was Moscow’s meddling in the U.S. election and cyberattacks, including a ban on the purchase of new state debt from US banks, sanctions against 38 people and entities and the expulsion of ten diplomats.
“We will respond to this measure with a mirror image,” Lavrov said of the diplomatic expulsions, but added that Moscow would leave debt restrictions unanswered for now.
“For obvious reasons, we don’t have comparable leverage in the United States [financial] scale, “he said.” We also have the opportunity to take painful action for American companies, [but] we will keep them in reserve “.
Lavrov also said that Moscow would stop working on US non-governmental organizations and charities that “interfere in Russian political life” and asked the US ambassador to the Kremlin, John Sullivan, to follow the example of the United States. his opposite number and he would return home for inquiries.
The response is less belligerent than some analysts had predicted and echoed comments from Putin’s spokesman on Friday, who said the Kremlin was open to offering cooling tensions between the two Biden countries despite the new sanctions.
“[Putin] has repeatedly said that we are ready to develop the dialogue as long as our counterparts are prepared to do so, “Dmitry Peskov told reporters before the countermeasures were announced.” In this regard, it is probably positive that the two leaders ‘State see eye to eye’.
The White House said Thursday that the first set of anti-Russian measures under the new administration was to “impose costs on the actions of the Russian government that are trying to harm us,” adding: “We do not believe we should continue on a negative trajectory. “.
Two days before the sanctions announcement, Biden used a phone call with Putin to suggest that the two men meet to negotiate in a third country in the near future.
Investors said U.S. sanctions affecting Russian state debt it would only have a small impact on Moscow’s ability to raise funds and on the attractiveness of its bonds, as they allowed US banks to buy debt on the secondary market.
The Moscow measures will significantly reduce the number of U.S. employees at its embassy and two consulates general and restrict the ability of U.S. diplomats to travel around the country.
[ad_2]
Source link
