WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday expressed anger at the death of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin for his passing.
“Make no mistake, Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death,” Biden said in a forceful speech at the White House.
Biden said the United States did not know exactly how Navalny died but “there is no doubt” that his death “was the consequence of something that Putin and his thugs did.”
The President used the moment to push Congress to pass a bill to fund Ukraine, which has been held up for months.
“This tragedy reminds us of the stakes in this moment. Let’s provide the funding so Ukraine can keep defending itself against Putin’s vicious onslaught and war crimes,” he said.
Several global leaders and senior Biden administration officials were quick to condemn the Kremlin after the Russian opposition leaders death.
“His death in a Russian prison and the fixation and fear of one man only underscores the weakness and rot at the heart of the system that Putin has built,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters at a conference in Germany.
Vice President Kamala Harris called Navalny’s death, “terrible” and “a further sign of Putin’s brutality.”
Navalny’s team confirmed the Russian opposition figure’s death Saturday in a statement.
“Alexey Navalny was murdered. His death occurred on February 16 at 2:17 p.m. local time, according to the official message to Alexey’s mother,” his spokesperson Kira Yarmysh said on X.
“An employee of the colony said that the body of Navalny is now in Salekhard. It was picked up by investigators from the IC. Now they are conducting ‘investigations’ with him,” she added.
Navalny’s family awaited independent confirmation on the news of his death following the announcement by Russian authorities.
“But if it is the truth, I would like Putin and all his staff, everybody around him — his government, his friends — I want them to know that they will be punished for what they have done with our country, with my family and with my husband,” she said. “They will be brought to justice, and this day will come soon.”
