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The foreign ministers of the EU countries agreed on Monday at a meeting in Luxembourg to begin with the necessary preparations, according to what the German press agency learned through several diplomats.
Germany and France had previously proposed punitive measures by the EU for the attack with a military nerve agent from the Novichok group. They justified the move by stating that Russia had not yet complied with requests for a full investigation of the crime.
So far, Russia has not provided any credible explanation for the cruel assassination attempt, according to a statement. Therefore, it is believed that “there is no plausible explanation for the poisoning of Mr. Navalny other than the involvement and responsibility of Russia.”
The attack cannot remain without consequences
According to the plans of the two countries, the punitive measures will be directed at people “who are considered responsible for this crime and for the violation of international legal norms due to their official role, as well as an institution that participates in the Novichok program.” Details have not yet been released.
Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) said in Luxembourg that the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) had confirmed that Nawalny’s poisoning was a violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention. This cannot be without consequences.
Russian Kremlin critic Navalny collapsed on August 20 while on a domestic flight in Russia. After an emergency landing in the Siberian city of Omsk, he was transferred to the Charité in Berlin at the urging of his family. The 44-year-old has already left the hospital, but has not yet fully recovered and is in rehab in the German capital.
Navalny suspects that the Russian state is behind the poison attack against him. The opposition is one of the harshest critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
