Biden readies his first major penalties on Russia

Source: Politico

The U.S. is preparing to respond to Russia’s poisoning and jailing of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and is expected to coordinate a sanctions rollout with European allies in the coming weeks, according to people familiar with the matter.

The response would mark a break with the previous administration, which prepared a sanctions package following Navalny’s poisoning but never implemented it, the people said. It would also constitute the new administration’s first major step in holding Russia accountable for human rights abuses, which Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have listed as a key pillar of their foreign policy agenda.

A senior administration official declined to comment on any specific elements of the response, but reiterated that “we are considering available policy options.”

“Suffice it to say,” the official added, “we won’t stand by idly in the face of these human rights abuses.”

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