Biden’s Russia, Saudi Sanctions Spark Grumblings of Weakness
- Critics say Biden is holding back after knocking Trump actions
- Sanctions over Nord Stream 2 also fell short, Republicans say
Photographer: Anna Moneymaker/The New York Times/Bloomberg
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Twice in the last week, the U.S. announced new sanctions against Russia and Saudi Arabia over what it called human rights abuses. Twice, critics said President Joe Biden pulled his punches.
Financial markets and rights groups were unimpressed by Biden’s move Tuesday to sanction senior Russian law enforcement officials over the poisoning and imprisonment of opposition leader Alexey Navalny. That followed similar criticism when Biden declined to target Saudi Arabia’s crown prince after releasing an intelligence report accusing him of approving the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.