U.S. President Joe Biden said he wants a "stable, predictable relationship” with Russia after imposing sanctions in response to allegations Moscow was behind a hack on SolarWinds Corp. and interfered with last year’s U.S. election.
"The United States is not looking to kick off a cycle of escalation,” Biden said Thursday at the White House. But he added: "If Russia continues to interfere with our democracy, I’m prepared to take further actions to respond.”
The U.S. president said he was following through with a campaign vow to hold Russia accountable for its actions, and that he could have gone further but chose to be "proportionate.” He said he’s hopeful Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with him in Europe this summer and work to improve relations.