President Joe Biden said that the US may consider implementing "additional sanctions" on Russia as a result of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny's death, which he had previously attributed to Vladimir Putin "and his thugs."
After arriving back from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, the president and First Lady Jill Biden embarked Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House. He took a moment to respond to questions from the press.
When questioned about the possibility of imposing more sanctions on Russia following Navalny's death, the response was: "We already have sanctions, but we are considering additional sanctions, yes."
Alexei Navalny, aged 47, a lawyer who had previously survived a poisoning and endured months in isolation cells, passed away in an Arctic Circle maximum-security prison, as reported by Russian state media on Friday.
Navalny was last seen Thursday, smiling and making jokes in a video taken during a court appearance in the Russian penal colony where he was in captivity. Biden mentioned that the United States is uncertain about the exact events that took place, USA Today reported.
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives is being urged by Biden to promptly approve $60 billion in security funding for Ukraine, two years into Putin's invasion and war in Ukraine.
Speaker Mike Johnson has yet to bring the foreign aid bill to the House floor for a vote, demanding additional measures to secure the US-Mexico border.
Alexei Navalny's Mysterious Death
Leaders globally hold Putin responsible for his demise. There are varying viewpoints on whether Navalny's death resulted from the harsh prison conditions or was a deliberate killing. The Russian government continues to deny Navalny's family access to his body.
President Biden, who previously attributed Navalny's death to Putin, mentioned that sanctions are already in place and is considering implementing additional ones. In 2021, Biden cautioned about the potential "devastating" outcomes if Navalny passed away in prison.
Yet, he seemed to soften his stance when questioned about his previous caution on Feb. 16. He mentioned that the United States had already implemented severe sanctions on Russia prior to Navalny's passing. Sanctions were placed on Moscow by the US and EU following the poisoning of Navalny in Russia in 2020 with a Novichok nerve agent, which is a chemical weapon made by the Russian government.
Following the poisoning incident, Navalny was transported to Germany for medical treatment, where German medical professionals confirmed that he had been exposed to Novichok. Several media outlets, including The Insider, Bellingcat, CNN, and Der Spiegel, released an investigation stating that Navalny was poisoned by agents of Russia's Federal Security Service. They also revealed the agents' identities.
On February 19, the EU's chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, announced that EU member states plan to suggest sanctions against those responsible for Navalny's passing. Borrell stated that Putin bore the ultimate responsibility, and the EU's potential sanctions could impact the institutional structure of the penitentiary system in Russia.
Navalny had been incarcerated with a 2.5-year prison term since 2021 and a separate 9-year sentence on fraud charges since 2022. In August 2023, a Russian court handed Navalny a 19-year sentence in a maximum security prison for his involvement in the Anti-Corruption Foundation on extremism charges.
International human rights organizations and governments have identified all these cases as politically motivated and fabricated, according to Kyiv Independent.
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