NPR

New Year To Bring New Test For Trump Administration On Key Russia Sanctions

On the fifth anniversary of an important Russian sanctions law, Bill Browder, who pushed for the law, says the Trump administration faces an opportunity to show strength — or leniency — to Putin.
Bill Browder has become one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's most vocal enemies, as he's pushed for countries to enact sanctions that freeze the assets of human rights violators.

The New Year will bring a new test for President Trump and the United States' relationship with Russia.

Five years ago, President Obama signed a bill imposing sanctions on a group of powerful people there charged with involvement in the death of a Russian lawyer who uncovered a $230 million tax fraud scheme — and then died in government custody. The sanctions infuriated Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Since then, the State Department has put more of each year, and the choice it makes next month about who or how many people it adds could be consequential.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR3 min readCrime & Violence
South Koreans Sue Government Over Climate Change, Saying It's Violating Human Rights
Plaintiffs including 17-month-old boy nicknamed Woodpecker bring landmark climate litigation in South Korea, the first in Asia to get a public hearing.
NPR4 min read
130 Million Americans Routinely Breathe Unhealthy Air, Report Finds
Climate change is making it harder to meet clean air goals, says the 25th annual State of the Air report from the American Lung Association.
NPR6 min read
How Do You Get Siblings To Be Nice To Each Other? Latino Families Have An Answer
Over the past few decades, psychologists have begun to understand how parents across many cultures teach their children to build deep, fulfilling relationships with their siblings.

Related Books & Audiobooks