Top lawmakers on the Senate’s foreign relations committee are brushing off a retaliatory measure taken by Russia in response to a sanctions package that passed Congress overwhelmingly last week, describing the heated move as predictable.
The Kremlin ordered the removal of more than 700 U.S. embassy and consulate staff after the bill’s passage and on Friday pointed fingers at Congress for ramping up tensions between Moscow and Washington. “The latest events confirm that certain circles in the U.S. are fixated on Russophobia and open confrontation with our country,” read a statement from Russia’s foreign ministry.
Lawmakers dismissed the retaliatory move Monday.
“I didn’t make much of it,” Senate foreign relations chairman Bob Corker told TWS. “We expected some blowback, and this is what it is.”
The committee’s top Democrat Ben Cardin also said the response was unsurprising. He pointed out that the Kremlin’s order to cut 755 employees—many of whom are Russian themselves and do service-related work such as vehicle maintenance, information management and human resources, according to the Washington Post—would end up harming Russia.
“This is going to hurt Russians. It’s going to affect a lot of the locals that are employed in our embassy,” he told reporters. “But it’s predictable. It’s what they do.”
The order renewed tension and uncertainty between Moscow and Washington, with Russian president Vladimir Putin lamenting Sunday hat relations had not improved despite early optimism.
President Donald Trump, whose administration has expressed concern that the legislation would hamstring negotiations with Russia did not comment on the Kremlin’s move Monday, though his vice president strongly denounced it during a foreign trip near Russia’s borders.
“Recent diplomatic actions taken by Moscow will not deter the commitment of the United States to our security, that of our allies, and to freedom-loving nations around the world,” Vice President Mike Pence said during a stop in Estonia.
The State Department described the Kremlin’s measure as “uncalled for” and “regrettable” Sunday. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had days earlier expressed hope that the two countries would cooperate and that eventually the sanctions would “no longer be necessary.”
The legislation punishes Russia over election interference and its military moves in Ukraine, among other activities, and also targets Iran and North Korea. Trump is expected to sign it into law soon.
Pence said Monday that the U.S. is “open to a better relationship” with Russia—but that this could only happen if Russia changes its behavior.
“A better relationship and the lifting of sanctions will require Russia to reverse the actions that caused sanctions to be imposed in the first place,” he said.
