Another well-known source tells CNN that the government is expected to take action against Russia on Thursday and coordinate with European allies.
Officials said the sanctions were aimed at intelligence and government officials and entities involved in the cyber intrusion of SolarWinds.
These actions will be implemented in the form of an executive order from President Joe Biden, as well as sanctions coordinated with the State Department and the Treasury Department, officials said. Government officials have called US allies and are preparing for possible Russian reactions.
It is unclear whether these sanctions will be enough to change Russian behavior, officials said.
The White House and the Department of State did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Biden government promised to respond to the aggression of Russia against the US and its allies in the early days of Biden’s presidency. Biden confronted Russian President Vladimir Putin over a range of issues, from a recent cyber attack to the alleged poisoning of the country’s leading opposition figure during their first call. And Biden’s government has already imposed sanctions on the jail term and poisoning of opposition leader Alexey Navalny.
Striking Russia also comes because the Biden government has sought to keep channels of diplomatic communication open and cooperate with Russia if it is in the US interest. Biden demonstrated this approach this week when he suggested a summit with Putin during their second phone call.
The Biden government also recently decided to keep the Trump-appointed US ambassador working for the foreseeable future and invited Putin to this climate change conference later this month.