The United States' announcement of sanctions on Russian individuals and entities for the alleged U.S. election meddling has aroused mixed reactions in Washington and beyond, with some hawks on Capitol Hill calling for more action, while Moscow said it is preparing retaliation.
The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday announced its decision to sanction five entities and 19 individuals for alleged interference with the 2016 U.S. presidential elections and engaging in "malicious" cyberattacks. Of the individuals, 13 had been indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller.
"The Administration is confronting and countering malign Russian cyber activity, including their attempted interference in U.S. elections, destructive cyberattacks, and intrusions targeting critical infrastructure," said Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin.
"These targeted sanctions are a part of a broader effort to address the ongoing nefarious attacks emanating from Russia," Mnuchin said in a statement.
The White House said President Donald Trump has been "extremely tough on Russia" during his time in office. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Russia will need to "decide if they want to be a good actor or a bad actor".
"We're going to be tough on Russia until they decide to change their behavior," Sanders was quoted by The Associated Press as saying.
At the same time, she left open the possibility of better U.S.-Russia cooperation, arguing that "if we can work together to combat world threats on things like North Korea, then we should," the Ap reported.
Russia's deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said the Kremlin has already started working on retaliatory measures against the new U.S. sanctions.
"We have already started working on our reciprocal measures," he said without hinting when they might follow, the Russian news agency TASS reported on Thursday. "I believe further demonstrative, tough actions (on the part of the U.S.) are possible. We are ready for them."
Republican House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce said in a statement, "Today's action, using authority provided by Congress, is an important step by the administration. But more must be done."
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said on his Twitter account that he supported the sanctions announced by the Treasury Department, "but believe even more must be done".
