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A30 world news
Diasabra 17 aPriL 2021

Russia to expel 10 US diplomats in response to Washington

(AP) — Russia on Fri- interpreted as a reflection of
day responded in kind its desire to soften the sanc-
to a barrage of new U.S. tions, allowing the U.S. to
sanctions, saying it would secure a dominant position
expel 10 U.S. diplomats at the meeting, while our re-
and take other retaliatory fusal to meet would be a con-
moves in a tense show- venient pretext for more pu-
down with Washington. nitive measures," Kosachev
wrote on Facebook.
Russian Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov also said Mos- He argued that Russia should
cow will add eight U.S. of- not rush to accept Biden's
ficials to its sanctions list and summit offer.
move to restrict and stop the
activities of U.S. nongovern- “Revenge is a dish best served
ment organizations from in- cold,” Kosachev wrote. “I
terfering in Russia’s politics. believe the saying is quite
adaptable to a situation when
He said the Kremlin sug- we talk not about revenge but
gested that U.S. Ambas- a due answer to aggressive ac-
sador John Sullivan follow tion by an opponent.”
the example of his Russian
counterpart and head home Some predicted the U.S.
for consultations. Russia will sanctions could discourage
also move to deny the U.S. Russia from cooperating with
Embassy the possibility to the U.S. on international cri-
hire personnel from Russia ses.
and third countries as sup-
port staff. “The Russian position will
grow tougher on Syria, the
The moves follow the sanc- Iranian nuclear deal and
tions on Russia announced other issues,” Ivan Timofeev,
this week by the Biden ad- program director at Russian
ministration. International Affairs Council,
Russia's economic potential at Macro-Advisory Ltd, an “There is no way to make said in a commentary. Instead
While the U.S. wields the and its global reach are limit- analytics and advisory com- any deals,” Lukyanov said. of acting as a deterrent, he
power to cripple the Rus- ed compared with the Soviet pany. “There is a mutual antipathy warned, the sanctions would
sian economy, Moscow lacks Union that competed with and a total lack of trust.” “only anger Russia and make
levers to respond in kind, al- the U.S for international in- Tougher restrictions would its policy even tougher.”
though it potentially could fluence during the Cold War. also hurt Western businesses, He charged that the only
hurt American interests in Still, Russia's nuclear arsenal inflict significant economic practical outcome of the However, any attempt by
many other ways around the and its leverage in many parts pain on the Russian popula- summit could be an agree- Russia to undermine Ameri-
globe. of the world make it a power tion and allow Putin to rally ment to launch long and dif- can interests would danger-
that Washington needs to anti-U.S. sentiments to shore ficult talks on a replacement ously escalate tensions with
Lavrov noted that while Rus- reckon with. up his rule. to the New START nuclear the U.S. and trigger even
sia could take “painful mea- reduction agreement that harder sanctions — some-
sures” against American busi- Aware of that, President Joe Ramping up sanctions could Russia and the U.S. extended thing the Kremlin certainly
ness interests in Russia, it Biden called for de-escalating eventually drive Russia into in February for another five wants to avoid.
wouldn’t immediately move tensions and held the door a corner and provoke even years.
to do that open for cooperation with more reckless Kremlin ac- Despite the soaring ten-
Russia in certain areas. Biden tion, such as a potential es- Lukyanov noted that the sions, Russia and the U.S.
Russia has denied interfering said he told Putin in Tues- calation in Ukraine, which growing U.S. pressure will have shared interests in
in the 2020 U.S. presidential day's call that he chose not to has recently faced a surge in push Russia and China closer many global hot spots. For
election and involvement in impose tougher sanctions for clashes with Russia-backed together in the long run. example, Moscow fears that
the SolarWind hack of federal now and proposed to meet in separatists in the east and instability could spread from
agencies — the activities pun- a third country in the sum- a massive Russian troops “Closer cooperation with Afghanistan to former Soviet
ished by the latest U.S. sanc- mer. buildup across the border. China on coordinating ac- republics in Central Asia, and
tions. The Russian Foreign tions to contain the United it is interested in a political
Ministry warned of an “in- Lavrov said the summit offer Ukrainian President Volody- States will develop more settlement there.
evitable” retaliation, charg- was being analyzed. myr Zelenskyy was in Paris quickly now as the Chinese
ing that “Washington should on Friday to discuss the ten- are interested in that,” he As for Iran, Moscow also
realize that it will have to pay While the new U.S. sanc- sions with French President said. While Russia lacks tools doesn't want to see it with
a price for the degradation of tions further limited Russia’s Emmanuel Macron. German for a symmetrical answer to nuclear weapons, despite its
bilateral ties.” ability to borrow money by Chancellor Angela Merkel the U.S. sanctions, “it has friendly ties with Tehran.
banning U.S. financial insti- was to join them in a call ample capabilities to stimu-
The U.S. on Thursday or- tutions from buying Russian later. late changes in the world or- Lukyanov said that Russia
dered 10 Russian diplomats government bonds directly der,” he added. wouldn't try to use global hot
expelled, targeted dozens of from state institutions, they Fyodor Lukyanov, a top for- Konstantin Kosachev, the spots to hurt the U.S. and
companies and people, and didn't target the secondary eign policy expert who leads Kremlin-connected deputy would wait patiently to see
imposed new curbs on Rus- market. the Moscow-based Council speaker of the upper house them erode U.S. domination.
sia's ability to borrow money. for Foreign and Defense Pol- of parliament, said that by
Pundits had predicted that “It’s very important that icies, predicted Putin would hitting Russia with sanctions “It's not a matter of playing
while Moscow would re- there’re no sanctions on likely accept Biden's invita- and proposing a summit the spoiler here or there,” he
spond in kind to the expul- secondary debt because that tion to join next week’s call at the same time, the U.S. said. “The ongoing develop-
sions, it would refrain from means that non-U.S. persons on climate change but could sought to take a commanding ments will help accelerate
any other significant moves can buy the debt and sell it to drag his feet on accepting the stance. the process of consolidation
to avoid a further escalation. the U.S. persons,” said Tom summit offer. of leading powers against the
Adshead, director of research “Russia's consent would be U.S. domination.”