Russia recalls ambassador from Washington

Ambassador Anatoly Antonov was recalled on Wednesday from Washington to Moscow for consultations after US President Joe Biden called President Vladimir Putin “a killer” in a television interview.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova did not cite specific reasons for Antonov’s return but said that relations “are in a difficult state, which Washington has brought to a dead end in recent years.”  US President Joe Biden said Russia will “pay a price” for meddling in U.S. elections and he agreed with the assessment that his Russian counterpart Putin is a “killer.”

“We are interested in preventing the “irreversible deterioration” of ties, if the Americans are aware of the associated risks,” the foreign ministry spokesperson added. Ambassador Antonov had been summoned, she said, “with the aim of analyzing what should be done and where to go in the context of ties with the United States.”