MOSCOW — It’s been a mixed year for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin may look like a winner after an abrupt U.S. decision to pull out of Syria. But Russia’s leader faces massive challenges in Syria and elsewhere, and he hasn’t moved an inch closer toward throwing off the Western sanctions that have emaciated Russia’s economy.
Associated Press: Putin scores some wins but tensions with the West mount
A woman with an umbrella walks on Red Square past the Kremlin in Moscow on Dec. 6, 2018.
