Washington (dpa) – Despite the new sanctions against Russia, the United States does not seek to escalate tensions with Russia, President Joe Biden said Thursday.
«The United States is not looking to kick off a cycle of escalation and conflict with Russia,» Biden said in brief remarks at the White House. «We want a stable, predictable relationship.»
But the US President also warned that «if Russia continues to interfere with our democracy, I’m prepared to take further actions to respond.»
Biden said the new sanctions could have been more severe: «We could have gone further, but I chose not to do so. I chose to be proportionate.»