President Vladimir Putin openly admits that economic sanctions “are severely harming Russia.” Imposed largely in response to the Kremlin’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, Western sanctions have since become a primary thrust of Russia’s foreign policy, perhaps even motivating the Kremlin’s meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election on behalf of an actively pro-Russia candidate, Donald Trump. Putin has good reason to want them lifted: the sanctions, according to some reports, have “sucked the momentum out of the Russian economy.” …read more
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
