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Reuters
Alexei Navalny is the most prominent opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin
US President Donald Trump has refused to condemn Russia for its alleged poisoning of Alexei Navalny, saying he has seen no evidence of this.
He said the case was “tragic” but urged reporters to focus instead on China, which he said poses a greater threat to the world than Russia.
But NATO and Germany said there was “unmistakable evidence” that Navalny had been attacked with a nerve gas (Novichok).
Navalny’s team says he was poisoned by order of the Kremlin. What Russia denies.
In a statement on Saturday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that if the Novichok nerve gas was actually used, it was not necessary that Russia originated.
Navalny, an anti-corruption activist and the most prominent opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is still in Russia, in a coma in a Berlin hospital after being airlifted from Siberia, where he developed symptoms.
What did Trump say?
In a press interview on Friday, Trump said he had not yet seen evidence of poisoning in the case.
“So I don’t know exactly what happened. I think it’s tragic and horrible, and it shouldn’t happen. We don’t have any evidence yet, but I will analyze the case.
Trump also refrained from criticizing Putin, saying that Beijing poses a greater threat.
“It’s interesting that everyone always mentions Russia, and I don’t mind mentioning Russia, but I think it’s possible that China at this stage is the one that needs to be talked about a lot more than that,” he said.
What is NATO’s position?
NATO and the German government say tests carried out in a military laboratory in Germany show “without a doubt” the presence of the nerve gas (Novichok).
NATO asked Russia on Friday to reveal the nerve gas program (Novichok) to international observers. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said all its members are united in condemning the “horrific” attack on Navalny.
Stoltenberg added that an international response was required, but did not provide further details.
The US National Security Council pledged to “work with allies and the international community to hold accountable those behind this in Russia.”
What did Russia say?
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday that it noticed several hostile remarks directed against Russia on the subject of the health of the opponent, Alexei Navalny, after Germany said he was poisoned with nerve gas.
In an official statement, the ministry described comments that Novichuk developed in Russia as “arrogant.”
“For example, in the United States, more than 150 official patents have been granted to developers of techniques used in combat,” he added.
Under the 1992 Chemical Weapons Convention, Russia and the United States pledged to eliminate all nerve gases and other chemical weapons. The United States is expected to destroy its ending stocks by the end of 2023, while Russia officially completed the process in 2017.
The Kremlin has repeatedly denied its involvement in the Navalny case.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Germany had not shared any results with the prosecutor in Moscow, adding that Russia “has nothing to hide.”
Meanwhile, the toxicologist in Omsk, where Navalny was first treated after the plane carrying him landed, insisted that the doctors who examined him there found no poison.
“Any other external factor could have caused the sudden deterioration of Navalny’s health. He did not even eat breakfast,” said Alexander Sabaev, chief toxicologist for the Omsk region.
What happened to Navalny?
Navalny fell ill last month during a flight from Siberia to Moscow.
The plane on board made an emergency landing in the city of Omsk, where it first received treatment, and then Russian officials were convinced to allow it to be transferred to Germany two days later.
Germany confirmed the use of nerve gas by the Novichok group in the Navalny accident, the same gas that was also used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the UK in 2018. Both survived, but a British woman, Don Sturgess , died after being exposed to the poison.
Britain accused Russian military intelligence of carrying out this attack in Salisbury. As part of a coordinated response, 20 countries expelled more than 100 Russian diplomats and “spies” from their territories. Russia has denied any involvement in the case.
