"A heinous and cowardly act - again", thunders European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
"Outrageous," said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
"Shocking," says Jens Stoltenberg, head of the NATO defense alliance, and demands a comprehensive, transparent and rapid Russian investigation.
The world is waiting
Alexei Navalny fell ill on board a flight almost two weeks ago and was forced to make an emergency landing in Siberia, where he was in intensive care for symptoms of poisoning.
Two days later, Navalny flew to the German capital Berlin, where he is now in a coma at the Charité Hospital.
On Wednesday, the German government announced that Navalny was poisoned by Novitjok.
Navalny's poisoning symptoms are easing, but the situation is serious and doctors expect a long period of illness.
Angela Merkel emphasized that Germany expects a declaration from the Russian government.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has previously said that Russia is ready to cooperate with Germany.
And there is "no reason" to blame the poisoning on the Russian state.
Peskov also says that there is no reason to discuss sanctions against Moscow.
Wants to strangle projects
Several German politicians have proposed changing the conditions around the controversial gas pipeline project Nordstream 2 due to Navalny's poisoning.
The project, which is owned by the state-owned Russian gas giant Gazprom, is intended to greatly increase the supply capacity for Russian gas directly to Germany.
Norbert Röttgen, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the German Bundestag, demands that Nordstream 2 be put on ice.
No investigation is ongoing
Senior German diplomat Wolfgang Ischinger, head of the annual security conference in Munich and former Washington ambassador, also highlights the importance of gas trade.
- If we want to send a clear message to Moscow together with our partners, economic relations must be on the agenda.
This means that we can not omit Nordstream 2, he tells Reuters.
Peter Stano, a spokesman for the European Commission, said there was currently no investigation into how Navalny was poisoned, but called on Russia to ensure the culprits are brought to justice.