Another well-known source tells CNN that the administration is expected to take action against Russia on Thursday and coordinate with European allies.
Sanctions will be targeted at intelligence and government services and entities involved in SolarWinds ’cyber intrusion, officials said.
These actions will take the form of an executive order from President Joe Biden, as well as coordinated sanctions with the State Department and the Treasury Department, officials said. State Department officials have called on U.S. allies and are preparing for possible Russian responses.
It is unclear whether these sanctions will be enough to change Russian behavior, officials said.
The White House and the State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Biden administration pledged to respond to Russia’s aggressions against the US and its allies in the early days of Biden’s presidency. Biden confronted Russian President Vladimir Putin over a variety of issues, from a recent mass cyberattack to the alleged poisoning of the country’s leading opposition figure, during his first phone call. And the Biden administration has already implemented sanctions for the imprisonment and poisoning of opposition leader Alexey Navalny.
The response in Russia also comes when the Biden administration has tried to keep diplomatic communication channels open and work with Russia when the interest of the United States. Biden showed that approach this week when he proposed a summit with Putin during his second phone call.
The Biden administration also recently decided to keep the U.S. ambassador appointed by Trump to work in Moscow for the foreseeable future and invited Putin to a conference on climate change later this month.