Biden says Putin and ‘his thugs’ are responsible for Navalny’s death

U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday directly blamed Russian leader Vladimir Putin for the reported death in prison of Alexey Navalny, calling the Kremlin critic a “powerful voice of truth.” .

Biden said he was “outraged” by the news and said he didn’t yet know what exactly happened to Navalny but that it was Putin and his “thugs.”

“There is no question that Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death. Putin is responsible,” Biden said in a televised address from the White House.

“What happened to Navalny is further proof of Putin’s brutality. No one should be fooled.”

Biden said he was “considering” how to respond but gave no further details.

Asked after meeting Putin in Switzerland in 2021 what would happen if Navalny died, Biden said: “I made it clear to him that I believe it would be devastating for Russia.”

On Friday, Biden praised Navalny’s achievements.

“Even in prison, he was a powerful voice for the truth,” Biden said. “God bless Alexei Navalny, his courage will not be forgotten.”

Russian officials said Navalny died in an Arctic prison on Friday, a month before elections to extend Putin’s power.

Navalny died after three years in detention, which he blamed on the Kremlin’s poisoning, which has left the Russian opposition without its figurehead amid a harsh crackdown and Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from associated news agency – AFP)