'Sharp rhetoric'

Ian Hill, a former US ambassador to Russia, said Putin himself has already noted the incoming US president's "sharp anti-Russia rhetoric". In the run-up to the presidential election last month, Biden described Russia as an "opponent" and the state that poses the "biggest threat" to US security.

US policy toward Russia will not only get tougher, but also more coherent, with less of the mixed messaging of the Trump administration, Hill said, adding that the US will continue to press its European NATO allies to pay more for their defense, and oppose the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which may prove problematic for relations with Angela Merkel's Germany. The massive project has been undertaken to bring Russian gas to European markets.

A report by Reuters on Dec 20 quoted people familiar with the Biden's team likely policies as saying it will consider several options to punish Russia for its suspected role in the hacking of US government agencies and companies once he takes office－from new financial sanctions to cyberattacks on Russian infrastructure.

The response will need to be strong enough to impose a high economic, financial or technological cost on the alleged perpetrators, but avoid escalating conflict between two nuclear-armed Cold War adversaries, Reuters quoted the sources as saying.

One potential target of financial sanctions from the US Treasury would be the SVR, Russia's foreign intelligence service, said Edward Fishman, an Atlantic Council fellow who worked on Russia sanctions at the State Department during the Obama administration.

Media reports have suggested the SVR-linked hacking group known as Cozy Bear, or APT29, was responsible for the cyber spying and infiltration into the computer networks of federal agencies including the treasury, energy and commerce departments.

The Kremlin has denied any involvement in the attacks reported this month. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the statements from US officials were groundless.

Timofeev said: "For Russian people, the US' sanctions are aimed at destroying the Russian economy, which will never be realized. For the Russian government, the US shows a lack of strategic insight and practical spirit in its relations with Russia."

Under the Biden administration, US aggression toward Russia will continue to be direct and large-scale, and may even lead to military conflict, Timofeev said, noting that Biden, as vice-president, was a main supporter of Ukraine in the US administration from 2014 to 2016.Biden will also pay much attention to the Donetsk and Crimea issues.