- White House Press Secretary Kyle McKinney on Thursday refrained from directly blaming Russia for poisoning Putin’s top opponent, Alexei Navalny.
- Russia has a long history of attacking dissent.
- Other world leaders have demanded clarification from the Russian government, and Biden directly blamed the Kremlin for the novel’s poisoning.
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White House Press Secretary Kyle McKinney on Thursday denounced the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, but denied directly blaming the Russian government or Russian President Vladimir Putin for the incident.
McKinney said the Trump administration was “horrified” by Germany’s announcement on Wednesday, which was found in the system of Nolvich’s agent Novichich Navali. Novichok is used to poison other Russian dissidents.
But he did not explicitly blame the Kremlin for the nerve agent’s attack, instead saying the administration would work to hold “the people of Russia” responsible for the incident.
“We are deeply saddened by the results announced yesterday. The poisoning of Alexei Navalny is absolutely reprehensible. Russia has used chemical nerve agents in the past and we are working with our allies in the international community to hold the Russian people accountable.” , Reiterating the statement of the National Security Council published on Wednesday.
SCNSC (NWNSC) September 2, 2020
Naval is Putin’s most famous opponent and has faced various forms of harassment from the Russian government over the years. In 2018, he sought to challenge Putin for the presidency but was eventually barred from running for office.
The anti-corruption campaign fell ill last month while returning to Moscow from Siberia. His aides immediately suspect he will be poisoned. Russian authorities initially barred Navalny from leaving the country, but he was eventually moved to Germany for further treatment.
On December 11, 2018, Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny paid tribute to Lyudmila Alexeva, founder of Russia’s oldest human rights group and winner of the Sakharov Prize in Moscow, Russia.
Maxim Shematov / Reuters
Trump has remained remarkably silent on the issue, though he continues to attack opponents on Twitter and present his views on a range of issues. The president faced widespread calls for a statement condemning the attack on Naval, including his former national security adviser, John Bolton.
Other world leaders have forcibly demanded an explanation from the Russian government.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that the use of chemical weapons against Alexei Navalny was “outrageous”. Tweeted on Wednesday. “We have seen first-hand the deadly consequences of Novichok in the UK. The Russian government now has to explain what happened to Mr Navalny – we will work with international partners to ensure justice is done.”
Former Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday issued a statement blaming the Kremlin directly for Navalny’s poisoning.
“Once again, the Kremlin has used a favorite weapon – agents of the novice class of chemicals – in an attempt to silence a political opponent,” Biden said.
Naval is in intensive care at a hospital in Berlin.
