Russia said on March 17 that it had summoned its envoy to the United States back to Moscow for consultations on its ties with Washington but stressed it wanted to prevent an "irreversible deterioration" in relations.
"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."
Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, and TASS
