Russia recalls its ambassador to the U.S. for consultations

[question everything]

Source: ABC News (AP)

MOSCOW -- Russia is recalling its ambassador to the United States for consultations, the foreign ministry said Wednesday.

The move to bring Anatoly Antonov to Moscow comes amid rising tensions with President Joe Biden's administration, which has imposed sanctions over the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is now in prison.

In a television interview aired on Wednesday, Biden was asked whether he thought Putin is a killer and said “I do.”

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova did not cite specific reasons for Antonov’s return but said that relations “are in a difficult state, which Washington has brought to a dead end in recent years." "We are interested in preventing their irreversible degradation, if the Americans are aware of the associated risks,” she added.


Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/russia-recalls-ambassador-us-consultations-76515771

[soothsayer]

1. Bye, spy

[old guy]

2. Make it a one way ticket.

[empedocles]

3. putin's concern is 'noted'.

[bucolic_frolic]

4. So ...

what time is Trump's flight?

[Pachamama]

6. +10000

Wondering the same....

Not soon enough...

[stopdiggin]

5. Russia doesn't have near as many cards to play

as does Biden. About the only mistake to be made here is if substantive and measurable price is not meted out for clear acts of espionage, sabotage (and aggression). Meaning, whatever the public and diplomatic response -- Biden needs to lance this boil, with some obvious prejudice -- making sure that the message gets home clearly. Not only to the Russians, but to others as well. SolarWinds stands out as a far more serious issue, and threat, than the election meddling. But both efforts point to a calculation on the part of Putin that there will not be a price (or a price easily justified in terms of gain) in pursuing these aggressions. They need to be disabused of this baseline calculation. And that will be accomplished through a price that illustrates real consequences, and real pain.

[orangecrush]

12. Excellent.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

7. Biden hurt Pooty's feefees

[BigmanPigman]

8. What price will Putin pay? Biden: We'll see shortly".

"Biden said he had a long talk with Putin, appearing to reference a phone conversation the two leaders had several days after Biden’s inauguration in late January."

“The conversation started off, 'I said, I know you and you know me. If I establish this occurred, then be prepared,’” Biden said, recounting how he confronted Putin."

"Asked what price will Putin pay, Biden said, “Well, you’ll see shortly." He added, however, that there are also issues of mutual interest on which the two countries can work together."

"A newly declassified U.S. intelligence assessment found that Putin authorized "influence operations aimed at denigrating President Biden's candidacy and the Democratic Party, supporting former President Trump, undermining public confidence in the electoral process, and exacerbating sociopolitical divisions in the U.S."

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-says-putin-will-pay-price-2020-election-interference-n1261281

[Jonah Ide]

9. Awww!

[Calista241]

10. Russia and Putin are sitting back and laughing.

Russia's entire economy is built upon oil, gas and energy exports. Oil has gone from $25 to $60 in the past 2 months, which has effectively doubled the size of Russia's economy. It's good times again in Russia for Putin and the oligarchs.

[orangecrush]

11. Run for your life

[W T F]

13. T