Moscow, April 15, 2021
Today, in a meeting requested by the United States, I informed Russian officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of far-reaching measures that the United States is taking to hold the Russian government accountable for its adversarial actions. The meeting was professional and respectful.
We have been clear that we desire a relationship with Russia that is stable and predictable. However, we have also been clear – publicly and privately – that we will defend our national interests and impose costs on the Russian government for its actions that seek to harm our sovereignty, or our allies, partners, and values.
In his recent conversation with President Putin, President Biden raised our strong concerns about Russian malign activities, including the use of a chemical weapon in the attempted murder of Aleksey Navalny, the SolarWinds intrusion, reports of Russia placing bounties on U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, and Russia’s interference in the 2020 U.S. election.
The actions taken by the Biden administration today impose costs on Russia for these actions by its government and intelligence services that have directly targeted American sovereignty.
Additional notifications were made to Russian officials in Washington today.
Where possible, the United States will continue to seek opportunities for cooperation with Russia with the goal of building a more stable and predictable relationship consistent with U.S. interests.
