Russia says U.S. has to pay for new sanctions

Washington must realize that it will "pay a price" for the degradation of U.S.-Russian relations, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Thursday in response to new anti-Russian sanctions and the expulsion of diplomats.

"Such an aggressive behavior will be strongly opposed. A response to sanctions will be inevitable ... Responsibility for what is happening lies entirely with the United States," Zakharova told a press conference.

U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan has been summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry for a conversation that will be "tough" for the American side, she said.

"We have repeatedly warned the United States of the consequences of its hostile actions, which confirm the degree of confrontation between our countries," Zakharova said.

"Such a (political) course, as was already stressed on several occasions, does not meet the interests of the peoples of the two leading nuclear powers, which bear the historical responsibility for the fate of the world," she said.

"In a telephone conversation with the Russian president, Joe Biden expressed interest in the normalization of Russian-U.S. relations. But the actions of his administration suggest otherwise," the spokesperson noted.

"The United States is not ready to come to terms with the objective reality of a multi-polar world that excludes the American hegemony, and is pursuing a policy of sanction pressure and interference in internal affairs," she said.

Earlier in the day, the United States imposed sanctions against Russia and expelled 10 diplomats in response to Moscow's alleged election interference and cyber activities.