Russia called back its envoy to the United States for consultations late Wednesday.
In a statement, the Kremlin said that Russia wants to halt “irreversible deterioration” in its ties with the U.S.
"The Russian ambassador in Washington, Anatoly Antonov, has been invited to come to Moscow for consultations conducted with the aim of analyzing what should be done and where to go in the context of ties with the United States," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.
The announcement came after U.S. President Joe Biden said Russia will "pay a price" for meddling in U.S. elections and he agrees with the assessment that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is a "killer."
His comments came after a 15-page American intelligence report released on Tuesday bolstered longstanding allegations that Putin was behind Moscow's election interference, an accusation Russia called baseless.
At the same time, Biden noted that "there's places where it's in our mutual interest to work together" such as renewing the START nuclear agreement, adding that the two leaders have a known history.
"I know him relatively well," Biden said, adding that "the most important thing dealing with foreign leaders in my experience ... is just know the other guy."
Of Putin, Biden said he does not think the Russian leader has a soul. Asked if he thought Putin was a killer, he told ABC, "I do."
