MOSCOW — Russia on Wednesday recalled its ambassador to the United States back to Moscow for consultations on the future of US-Russia ties after American President Joe Biden said Vladimir Putin would 'pay a price' for alleged election meddling, Reuters reported.

Biden made his comments after a US intelligence report supported longstanding allegations that Putin was behind Moscow's election interference in the United States, an accusation Russia called baseless.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it had summoned its ambassador Anatoly Antonov, back to Moscow to discuss the future of Russia's relationship with the United States.

The move was designed to ensure bilateral ties did not degrade irreparably, it said.

The move to bring Anatoly Antonov to Moscow comes amid rising tensions with Biden's administration, which has imposed sanctions over the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is now in prison.

In a television interview aired on Wednesday, Biden was asked whether he thought Putin is a killer and said “I do.”

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova did not cite specific reasons for Antonov’s return but said that relations “are in a difficult state, which Washington has brought to a dead end in recent years."

"We are interested in preventing their irreversible degradation, if the Americans are aware of the associated risks,” she added. — Agencies