'Putin responsible for Navalny's death': Biden, western leaders slam Russia
Kremlin said the reaction of western leaders to Navalny's death was 'unacceptable'
Kremlin said the reaction of western leaders to Navalny's death was 'unacceptable'
Kremlin said the reaction of western leaders to Navalny's death was 'unacceptable'
Kremlin said the reaction of western leaders to Navalny's death was 'unacceptable'
US President Joe Biden joined other western leaders in slamming Russia over the death of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. A former lawyer, Navalny, 47, fell unconscious and died on Friday after a walk at the Polar Wolf Arctic penal colony where he was serving a 30-year sentence, authorities said.
The Federal Penitentiary Service of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District said in a statement that Navalny lost consciousness almost immediately the walk and died shortly afterwards, and added that resuscitation attempts failed.
Speaking at the White House, Biden said that no matter the cause, he holds Russian President Vladimir Putin responsible for Navalny's death. He said the US had not confirmed Navalny's death in the Russian prison, but that he had no reason to doubt it either.
Biden added that the Kremlin critic's death should spur the Congress to approve funds for Ukraine to thwart Moscow's invasion. "I hope to God it helps push US lawmakers to send more aid to Ukraine," he said. The House is yet to take up a Senate-passed bill that would send funds and armaments to Ukraine, whose troops, according to US officials, are running out of resources on the battlefield.
Meanwhile, at a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris for the signing of a France-Ukraine bilateral agreement, French President Emmanuel Macron said Navalny's death shows Russia's weakness and its fear of all opponents.