Published 12:02 IST, September 5th 2020
Trump refuses to condemn Russia over Navalny's poisoning, says 'haven't had any proof yet'
Trump declined to condemn Russia over the poisoning of Putin-critic Alexey Navalny, even though global leaders have pinned the blame on the country.
The US President Donald Trump, on September 4, declined to condemn Russia over the poisoning of Putin-critic Alexey Navalny, even though several leaders around the globe have pinned the blame on the country. At a press briefing, when asked what his message to Russia about the Navalny’s poisoning, Trump said that he has to look at the case ‘very seriously’.
He added that he doesn’t know what exactly happened, however, he called the incident ‘tragic and terrible’. Trump declined to accept the German government’s assessment that the Russian opposition leader was attacked with a nerve agent. He said that he has seen any ‘proof’ yet, but will surely look at it.
The US President said, “We have to look at it very seriously. If that's the case, and I think we will”. He added, “I think it's sad, it's tragic. It's terrible. It shouldn't happen. We haven't had any proof yet. But I will take a look”.
Earlier this week, Germany confirmed the nerve agent Novichok poisoning as the cause of Navalny’s coma and termed it as “an attempt to murder,” condemnation against Russia erupted worldwide by the international communities—including the UK, US, France, and Norway. Germany’s chancellor Merkel even called for a thorough Russian investigation.
Russia rejects allegations of Navalny poisoning
However, On September 3, Kremlin openly rejected accusations that Russian leader Putin was responsible for the poisoning of his political rival. In an address to the press, Kremlin said there were no grounds for sanctions to be imposed against Moscow or criminal investigations. It further trashed the allegations of “intentional poisoning” of Navalny by Russian authorities.
The Russian government accused the Russian doctors and pro-Kremlin media of the fabrication of the victim’s deliberate poisoning narrative that outraged Navalny's allies who held the Kremlin responsible for poisoning the critic, according to reports. Russia even accused Berlin of failing to share ‘solid evidence’. Although, Germany's Chancellor in a presser announced that a German military lab identified and confirmed that the poison in Navalny's system is a variant of Novichok, a Soviet-era nerve agent.
Updated 12:01 IST, September 5th 2020