President Joe Biden said in his first address to Congress that he will hold Russian President Vladimir Putin to account for maligned behavior.

“I made very clear to President Putin that while we don’t seek escalation, their actions have consequences”, - Biden said, referring to a phone call he had with the Kremlin leader.

Earlier this month, the Biden administration slapped Moscow with a raft of sanctions for allegations of meddling in U.S. elections, human rights abuses and sweeping cyberattacks on American networks. In addition, the State Department announced the expulsion of 10 officials from the Russian Embassy in Washington.

Russia described the latest moves by the White House as a blow to bilateral relations and vowed to impose swift retaliatory measures. The Kremlin also blamed the United States for weakening the diplomatic relations between Washington and Moscow.

“I responded in a direct and proportionate way to Russia’s interference in our elections and cyberattacks on our government and businesses - and they did both of those things and I did respond, but we can also cooperate when it’s in our mutual interests”, - said Biden.