WASHINGTON, January 15. /TASS/. Washington welcomes the Russian authorities arresting ransomware hackers REvil, a senior US administration official said during a special telephone briefing for reporters.
"We welcome, of course, that the Kremlin is taking law enforcement steps to address ransomware emanating from its borders. The President believes in diplomacy. President Biden and President Putin set up a White House-Kremlin Experts Group on ransomware last June. As we’ve said and the Russians have acknowledged, we’ve been sharing information with the Russians through this channel, including information related to attacks on American critical infrastructure," she said.
Speaking about the detention of hackers, the official noted, " I also want to be very clear: In our mind, this is not related to what’s happening with Russia and Ukraine. I don’t speak for the Kremlin’s motives, but we’re pleased with these initial actions".
According to her, "As the President has said, cyber criminals are resilient and we will continue to take action to disrupt and deter them while engaging in diplomacy, as we have with Russia, allies, and partners around the world".
Putin and Biden agreed at a bilateral meeting in Geneva on June 16, 2021, that Moscow and Washington would begin a dialogue on security issues in cyberspace. Biden later stressed that he believes in the possibility of establishing Russian-US cooperation in this area.