Biden: Putin is Responsible for Alexei Navalny's Death

Joe Biden, the President of the United States, reacted to the news of Alexei Navalny's death, identifying Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, as responsible for his demise. On Friday, February 16, during remarks at the White House, Biden stated that the news of Navalny's death in prison was not surprising to the world as he bravely stood against corruption and violence in Russia. Biden said that Putin poisoned and arrested Navalny for this reason, and he was tried on fabricated charges and imprisoned. Biden added that despite this, Navalny continued to expose Putin's lies and was 'a resounding voice of truth even in prison.' The U.S. President, referring to Navalny's poisoning in 2020, said, 'He could have stayed in self-imposed exile safely after the assassination attempt when he was outside Russia, but knowing he would be imprisoned or even killed, he returned to Russia. Because he deeply belonged to his country, Russia.' Biden emphasized that Russia is spreading its fabricated narrative as a reason for Navalny's death: 'Make no mistake! Putin is responsible for Navalny's death. What happened to Navalny is evidence of Putin's ruthlessness... Putin targets not only citizens of other countries but also commits crimes against his own people.' The U.S. President expressed condolences to Navalny's family and colleagues, emphasizing that the United States stands with them against Putin's efforts to suppress dissent. Biden concluded by stressing that what should remain in memory of Alexei Navalny is that support for Ukraine in defending itself against Russia must continue. The Russian prison service announced that Alexei Navalny, a prominent opposition figure and Putin's most well-known opponent, died on Friday after losing consciousness in prison. The 47-year-old Navalny rose to fame over a decade ago by mocking Vladimir Putin and the political elite of Russia and extensively covering their corruption and abuses in the country. Leonid Volkov, Navalny's assistant, posted on social media that 'Russian authorities have released confessions indicating that Alexei Navalny was killed in prison.' He added that there is currently no way to verify or prove the accuracy of this claim. Dmitry Muratov, a Russian Nobel Peace Prize laureate, told Reuters that Navalny's death in prison is 'murder' and that violent actions led to his death. Navalny was targeted in Siberia in the summer of 2020 with a nerve agent. The Kremlin denied any attempt to kill him at that time and claimed, contrary to existing evidence, that there was no proof of poisoning this Putin opponent with a nerve agent. Following this assassination attempt, Navalny was transferred to Germany for treatment but voluntarily returned to Russia in 2021 after completing his treatment and was imprisoned. There has been widespread reaction to Navalny's death in prison; Biden: Putin is responsible for his death. The death of Alexei Navalny, Putin's most prominent opponent, in prison; Navalny's assistant: 'They killed him.' Russian torture; Navalny says he is forced to listen to a pro-Putin singer in prison. Hundreds protested in support of a jailed activist in Russia. The 60th Munich Security Conference; the U.S. emphasizes the need to confront the Islamic Republic and its proxy groups.