Putin Pushes Back Against Sanctions

By Kristen E. McCannon

Vladimir Putin argued on November 14 that international sanctions against Russia violate international law. Speaking prior to the G20 Summit in Brisbane, the Russian President claimed that the United Nations Security Council must approve economic sanctions, and therefore that the current sanctions are illegal because they were imposed by Western countries in the absence of such approval. President Putin also suggested that the sanctions might violate the principles of the World Trade Organization.