President Joe Biden once promised back in 2021 that the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny would bring “devastating” consequences for Russia.
“I made it clear to him that I believe the consequences of that [Navalny dying in prison] would be devastating for Russia,” Biden said about his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a White House transcript of a press conference given back on June 16, 2021. (RELATED: Vladimir Putin Says He Wants Biden To Win In 2024)
Biden hinted in that press conference that these consequences would mostly be economic in nature. “But if they do not act according to international norms, then guess what? That will not — that [investing in Russia] only won’t it happen with us, it will not happen with other nations. And he kind of talked about that — didn’t he, today? — about how the need to reach out to other countries to invest in Russia,” Biden said, according to the transcript.
Russian prison services announced Friday that Alexei Navalny, aged 47, died in a prison colony above the Arctic Circle. Navalny became unwell after taking a walk and lost consciousness according to the Federal Penitentiary Service, The Associated Press reported. Navalny’s legal team said that they were unable to independently confirm his death. Navalny was jailed in 2021.
“Whatever story they tell, let us be clear, Russia is responsible,” Vice President Kamala Harris said in a speech Friday at the Munich Security Conference.
VP Harris blamed the Kremlin for Russian dissident Alexei Navalny’s death, hinting at a strong U.S. response in the days ahead.
“Whatever story they tell, let us be clear, Russia is responsible,” Harris said at the Munich Security Conference. https://t.co/XFHM228IF4 pic.twitter.com/LI0zLHOIgr
— POLITICO (@politico) February 16, 2024
The Biden administration already placed a historic level of sanctions against Russia following Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine in 2022.