WASHINGTON: The U.S. will announce a major package of sanctions against Russia on Friday over the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the two-year Ukraine war, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Tuesday.
The package will “hold Russia accountable for what happened to Mr. Navalny” and for its actions over the course of the war in Ukraine, Kirby said, without providing details on the sanctions measures.
Speaking to reporters on a conference call, Kirby said the United States is pressing Russia for “complete transparency” on how Navalny died last Friday at an Arctic penal colony.
The prison service said at the time that Navalny fell unconscious after a walk and died. U.S. President Joe Biden has blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The United States already has issued a wide array of sanctions related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“Whatever story the Russian government decides to tell the world, it’s clear that President Putin and his government are responsible for Mr. Navalny’s death,” Kirby said.
Kirby said the U.S. embassy in Moscow has been seeking more information about Navalny’s death “but it’s difficult to get a point where you can be confident in what the Russians would say about his death.” –Agencies
