In loaned for rendering. In response to American sanctions, to exclude Russian diplomats and to ban certain senior officials on American soil, Moscow in turn retaliated: several officials in the Biden administration, including the director of the FBI, have been banned from to travel to Russia. At the same time, the Kremlin said it was open to the idea of a summit between Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, deeming this proposal “positive”.
This new exchange of punitive measures comes at a time when relations between the two geopolitical rivals have continued to deteriorate against a background of accusations by the United States of interference in particular in the American presidential election of 2020, of espionage and cyber attacks. Washington announced on Thursday April 15 additional sanctions targeting Russia, which include the expulsion of ten Russian diplomats and the prohibition on American banks to buy directly debt issued by this country after June 14.
Moscow “recommended” to the US Ambassador to return
Moscow’s response was quick, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announcing on Friday the upcoming expulsion of ten American diplomats, various restrictions that will make life more complicated at American representations in Russia, as well as the ban on his territory of American foundations and NGOs which “openly interfere” in its domestic policy.
Several members of Joe Biden’s government will also no longer be authorized by Russia to stay there: these are the ministers of justice, internal security, the domestic policy adviser, the head of the FBI and the director. intelligence. Sergey Lavrov also announced that Moscow had “recommended” to the Ambassador of the United States, John Sullivan, to return to Washington for “to have in-depth and serious consultations there”.
“The time has come for de-escalation”
The Russian ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov, had meanwhile been recalled to Moscow on March 17, for “consultations”, after Joe Biden had qualified Vladimir Poutine as “killer”. According to him, Moscow reserves the right to take other “painful measures” against American companies, but “keeps them in reserve.” Moscow will also expel five Polish diplomats, in response to that of three Russians by Warsaw.
As is customary after each wave of sanctions, the Kremlin earlier on Friday called the new US sanctions “unacceptable”. Nevertheless, the Kremlin was rather satisfied with the words of US President Joe Biden, who believes that “the time for de-escalation has come” and deemed necessary a bilateral meeting “this summer in Europe” to “launch a strategic dialogue on stability “.
The “points of view of the two heads of state coincide”
“President Putin (the first) spoke of the need to normalize relations and of a de-escalation,” replied the spokesman for the Russian presidency, Dmitry Peskov. He judged “positive” that the “points of view of the two heads of state coincide”. The Russian Foreign Ministry also announced on Friday that it saw the American idea of a summit between Russian and American presidents “positively”. The proposal is “currently under consideration” in Moscow.
Since coming to power, Joe Biden has promised to be much firmer than his predecessor Donald Trump, accused of appeasing the master of the Kremlin. But the American president also proposed earlier this week to his Russian counterpart a summit on neutral ground, which Finland and Austria are ready to host. Russia and the United States have seen their relations deteriorate considerably since 2014 and the Russian annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. Even under Donald Trump, who made no secret of appreciating Vladimir Putin, Washington has stepped up the sanctions.
Zelensky spoke with Macron and Merkel
Those announced Thursday are a response to the gigantic cyberattack of 2020, of which Russia has been accused and which used as a vector SolarWinds, an American software publisher whose product was hacked to introduce a loophole in its users, including several federal agencies. American. Directly questioned by Washington, Russian foreign intelligence spoke of “delusions”.
This Russian-American ballet comes at a time of growing Russian-Ukrainian tensions, with Ukraine accusing Moscow of seeking a casus belli to invade it and Russia claiming that Kiev is preparing an offensive against pro-Russian separatists in the east of Ukraine. The West called on Moscow to reduce its forces in the area and showed their support for Kiev. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met in this regard on Friday with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Volodymyr Zelensky, who was in Paris, said he hoped for a resumption of the truce in the conflict with pro-Russian separatists next week and called for the organization of a summit with Vladimir Putin, under Franco-German mediation.
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
