Alexei Navalny’s death: Cautious US says still seeking confirmation
The United States is actively seeking confirmation of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s reported death, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told National Public Radio.
Alexei Navalny Dies: Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is seen on a screen via video link from a penal colony in the Vladimir Region.(File)
“If it’s confirmed, it is a terrible tragedy,” he said in an interview.
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Meanwhile, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said that should Alexei Navalny’s death be confirmed, it underscores the “weakness and rot” at the heart of the Russian government.
“His death in a Russian prison and the fixation and fear of one man only underscores the weakness and rot at the heart of the system that Putin has built,” he said on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany.
“Russia is responsible for this,” he added.
This comes as Alexei Navalny’s press secretary Kira Yarmysh said his team had not been informed of his death and that his lawyer was on his way to the prison.
In 2021, US president Joe Biden said after meeting Vladimir Putin in Switzerland, “I made it clear to him that I believe the consequences of that would be devastating for Russia.”
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