EU and Washington foreign ministers take up Navalny case, Moscow reassures
The IK-2 penal colony, where Russian opponent Alexeï Navalny is imprisoned.
AP - Kirill Zarubin
Text by: RFI Follow
5 mins
EU foreign ministers will look into the Alexei Navalny case on Monday, the German government announced on Sunday, which along with France is urging Russian authorities to take care of the Kremlin's main critic.
For its part, Washington warns Moscow, which is trying to reassure the opponent's health.
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"
At their meeting tomorrow (Monday) in Brussels, the European Union's foreign ministers will discuss the Navalny situation
," German
foreign minister
Heiko Maas told German daily
Bild.
He "
urgently
"
asked
the Russian authorities to provide "
adequate medical treatment
" to the Russian opponent, given the "
very worrying
"
deterioration
in his state of health.
Heiko Maas also demanded that Alexey Navalny, currently detained in a penal colony, "
have access to doctors who have his confidence
", adding that "
his right to medical support must be guaranteed to him without delay
".
On the same day, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian made similar remarks, saying he was "
extremely concerned
" about the opponent's state of health and referring
to President Vladimir Poutine's "
major responsibility
".
The head of French diplomacy also left the threat of new European sanctions hanging over.
#AlexeiNavalny 🇷🇺
➡️ @JY_LeDrian is worried about his health and believes that President Vladimir #Putin has direct responsibility.
📺 @letellier_ftv @ France3tv #DimPol pic.twitter.com/TWXJDjgIJ9
- DimancheEnPolitique (@DimPolitique) April 18, 2021
Washington warning
The White House warned on Sunday that there would be "
consequences
" for Russia if Alexei Navalny died. "
As for the specific measures that we would take, we are looking at different types of costs that we would impose, and I will not reveal them publicly at this stage, but we have indicated that there will be consequences if Mr. Navalny dies,
" he said. Joe Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on CNN.
“
We first allied with the European Union, and with many like-minded democracies around the world, to impose sanctions in response to what the Russian government did to Navalny, in response to the use of a chemical weapon against him, which goes against international law
, ”Sullivan explained.
“
Second, we have informed the Russian government that what will happen to Mr. Navalny, whom they have imprisoned, will be their responsibility and that they will be held accountable by the international community
,” he continued.
► To read also: Three days in the life of Alexeï Navalny
The journalist then asked him why Joe Biden had not mentioned his fate during a solemn speech Thursday, April 15 on sanctions imposed on Russia or did not publicly demand his release.
"
We felt that rather than making general public statements, the best way to tackle this problem was in private, and through diplomatic channels directly to the highest levels of the Russian government
," the adviser said. the White House.
The American president judged Saturday, April 17 the fate of Mr. Navalny "
totally unfair
", during very brief statements to journalists.
Moscow is reassuring
Moscow will not let Alexeï Navalny "
die in prison
", assured the Russian ambassador to London in an interview on Sunday with the BBC.
"
We will not let him die in prison, but I can say that Mr. Navalny behaves like a hooligan
", "
by trying to violate every rule that has been established
", declared on the British public channel the ambassador Andreï Kéline , accusing the opponent of "
wanting to attract attention
".
Watch the Ambassador Andrei Kelin's interview to Andrew Marr on his BBC program The Andrew Marr Show.
https://t.co/Axyj6vtULS#Kelin #Marr #BBC #Interview
- Russian Embassy, UK (@RussianEmbassy) April 18, 2021
The allies of the 44-year-old opponent, sick and on hunger strike, called on the Russians on Sunday April 18 to demonstrate on April 21 to "
save his life
".
The main opponent of the Kremlin stopped eating on March 31 to protest his poor conditions of detention.
The 44-year-old barely survived a nerve poisoning last year that left him in a coma.
He accused the Kremlin and the Russian security services of being responsible, which they deny.
Doctors close to the opponent demanded Saturday to be allowed to see him immediately, fearing that he would have a fatal cardiac arrest "
at any minute
."
► To read also:
"Alexeï is dying": the great concern of the relatives of the opponent in Russia
(With
AFP
)
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Alexei Navalny
Russia
European Union
United States