French President Emmanuel Macron has offered his country’s help to Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny following his alleged poisoning, while other world leaders have responded to the sudden illness of President Vladimir Putin’s focal enemy.
Macron told reporters Thursday that France is offering the opposition leader and his family help with medical care as well as other unspecified protections.
ALEXEI NAVALNY, A TOP PUTIN FOE, ALLEGEDLY TOXIC AND HOSPITALIZED IN COMA
“We are very worried and saddened,” Macron said, insisting on the need to clarify what happened.
Navalny remains hospitalized in a coma following what his aides believe was a deliberate poisoning linked to his political activity. The 44-year-old has been a thorn in the side of the Kremlin, leading a crusade against anti-corruption that has exposed government officials using their authority for personal gain.
Navalny was placed on a ventilator in a hospital for intensive care units in Siberia after suffering from suspected poisoning during a flight, his spokeswoman said Thursday. (AP photo / Pavel Golovkin, file)
Because doctors have yet to confirm a diagnosis, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was necessary to wait for test results to show what is causing Navalny’s state.
Although Russia has not fully opened its borders to a coronavirus lockon, Peskov said authorities would consider a request to leave Navalny for treatment.
RUSSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER IN COMA AFTER ALL POISONING PREDICTED HIS DEATH IN 2017
Meanwhile, reports of Putin critic’s proven poisoning have garnered the attention of other world leaders.
Speaking at the White House, President Trump said U.S. officials were looking into the situation surrounding the opposition leader’s illness, Reuters reported.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in a tweetje that he was ‘deeply concerned’ about the reports of the politician’s suspected poisoning.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking at a joint news conference with Macron, said Germany would also insist on transparency regarding Navalny’s illness and expressed support for him.
“Of course, Germany lets him have all the medical help that is also needed in German hospitals,” Merkel said. “But that, of course, must be a wish that is expressed.”
“What is also very important is that it is very urgently made clear how it can come to the situation,” Merkel added.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius tweeted that the reports of suspected poisoning were “very careful.”
“If confirmed, those responsible should have consequences,” Linkevicius said.
Navalny had fallen ill on a flight returning to Moscow from Tomsk, a city in Siberia, and made an emergency landing in Omsk, Navalny spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said on Twitter. She told Echo Moscow radio station that he must have consumed poison in a tea he drank in an airport cafe before boarding.
Navalny sat early Thursday on a ventilator in a hospital for intensive care units. His wife arrived at the hospital but could not see him immediately. His spokeswoman said doctors Navalny did not yet have permission to have visitors. Doctors said he is stable but remains in a coma.
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Like many other opposition politicians in Russia, Navalny is often detained by law enforcement and harassed by pro-Kremlin groups. He is also not the first opposition figure to suffer from a mysterious poisoning.
Fox News’ Amy Kellogg and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
