Published 14:20 IST, September 10th 2020
Pompeo says 'substantial chance' of Russian officials behind Navalny's poisoning
US State Secretary Mike Pompeo said that was a “substantial chance” that senior Russian officials were behind the suspected poisoning of Kremlin critic Navalny.
US State Secretary Mike Pompeo said that was a “substantial chance” that senior Russian officials were behind the suspected poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. Pompeo told the Ben Shapiro radio program that the European Union and the United States have made it clear to the Russians that they expect Kremlin to hold people accountable behind the poison attack.
“There is a substantial chance that this actually came from senior Russian officials, I think this is not good for the Russian people. I think it’s not good for Russia,” said Pompeo as per the transcript published by the State Department.
German health authorities had confirmed the poisoning of Alexei Navalny with a Soviet-style nerve agent from the Novichok group, citing toxicological test results. The top US diplomat opined that the world has matured and understands that this is not how normal countries operate, and this will prove costly for the Russians.
Condemnation from G7 ministers
Earlier on September 8, The Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers strongly condemned the “confirmed poisoning” of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, according to a statement released by the US State Department. The G7 ministers said Germany has briefed them on the fact that clinical and toxicological findings determined Navalny as the victim of an attack with a chemical nerve-agent of the “Novichok” group, a substance developed by Russia.
“We, the G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union, are united in condemning, in the strongest possible terms, the confirmed poisoning of Alexei Navalny,” the statement read.
Navalny has been removed from a medically-induced coma as his health condition improved. Berlin’s Charité University hospital said in a statement that the Kremlin critic, who fell unconscious during a flight due to alleged poisoning and was transferred to the hospital on August 22, will be gradually taken out of the ventilator support.
Updated 14:20 IST, September 10th 2020