The US has announced sanctions against Russia in response to what it says are cyber-attacks and other hostile acts.
The measures, which target dozens of Russian entities and officials, aim to deter “Russia’s harmful foreign activities”, the White House said.
The statement says Russian intelligence was behind last year’s massive “SolarWinds” hack, and accuses Moscow of interference in the 2020 election.
Russia denies all the allegations and says it will respond in kind.
The sanctions announced on Thursday are detailed in an executive order signed by President Joe Biden. They come at a tense time for relations between the two countries.
Last month the US targeted seven Russian officials and more than a dozen government entities over the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. Russia says it was not involved.
In a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, Mr Biden vowed to defend US national interests “firmly”, while proposing a meeting with Mr Putin to find areas where the two countries could work together.❐
