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Sanctions, expulsions and a summit in doubt
Summary
A look back at the US measures against Russia announced on 15 April 2021 and the diplomatic fallout that followed.
What did Washington's package of measures against Moscow mean for relations between the two powers by 20 April 2021? Five days after the United States announced the steps on 15 April 2021, the dispute was still unresolved, with Russia having promised a response.
What Washington did
The United States said its measures answered the 2020 federal government data breach, interference in the 2020 US elections, and the occupation of and human rights abuses in Crimea. It banned trade in bonds newly issued by Russia's Central Bank, National Wealth Fund and Ministry of Finance. It formally named the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service as responsible for the data breach, blacklisted 32 Russian entities and individuals, and expelled ten Russian diplomats.
The breach was later described as among the worst cyber-espionage incidents suffered by the United States, affecting thousands of organisations worldwide, including NATO, the UK government and the European Parliament.
Moscow's reaction
Russia denied the allegations. Its Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the US ambassador and told him that a series of retaliatory measures would follow soon. A ministry spokesperson also said that a potential summit between the two countries' leaders might not take place.
Why it mattered
The package combined financial restrictions, an attribution of responsibility to a named intelligence service, blacklistings and diplomatic expulsions. Crimea was listed alongside cyber and election issues, linking Ukraine-related concerns to the wider US-Russia confrontation.
The warning over a possible summit showed that Moscow was already treating the leaders' meeting as being at risk. As of 20 April 2021, the promised Russian countermeasures had yet to be spelled out, leaving the next step in the exchange with Moscow.
