“With regard to Russia, I know it concerns some of you, but I made very clear to President Putin that while we don’t seek escalation but their actions will have consequences if they turn out to be true, and they turned out to be true,” the president said during a speech to a joint session of Congress.
“I responded in a direct and proportionate way to Russia’s interference in our elections and cyber-attacks on our government and businesses – and they did both of these things and I told them I would respond and we have.”
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Biden in April imposed sanctions on Russia targeting the country’s sovereign debt. He also blacklisted a handful of technology companies, expelled Russian diplomats in the U.S. and sanctioned dozens of individuals over election interference and cyber-hacking.