U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday (15 February) called it “troubling” a report by five European allies blaming Russia for killing late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny using a toxin from poison dart frogs.
Speaking at a news conference in Bratislava, Rubio said, “We obviously are aware of the report. It's a troubling report. We're aware of the case of Mr. Navalny and certainly… we don't have any reason to question it. We're not disputing it, and we're not going to fight with these countries over it. But it was their report, and they put that out there.”
The report, released on Saturday (14 February), comes from Britain, France, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands. The five countries said they are convinced that Navalny was poisoned with a lethal toxin in a Russian penal colony two years ago.
The governments issued a joint statement in London, saying analyses of Navalny’s samples conclusively confirmed the presence of epibatidine, a powerful toxin found in South American poison dart frogs and not naturally occurring in Russia.
The statement said the findings support the conclusion that Navalny’s death was caused by deliberate poisoning.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday that only Russia had “the opportunity, the motive, the means” to poison Navalny while he was in prison.
“UK scientists have worked with our European partners to pursue the truth about how Alexei Navalny died,” Cooper said. “They have found and confirmed that there was a lethal toxin in his body when he died.”
She added that the Russian government had “tried to silence its opponents” and said the UK was determined “that the truth be told”.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot went further, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin was “responsible” for Navalny’s death.
“Today, exactly two years after his death, we are providing evidence … that he was poisoned,” Barrot said. He added that analyses conducted in specialised laboratories showed Navalny had been administered a toxin that “very likely led to his death”.
The Russian government, which has repeatedly denied any responsibility for Navalny's death, dismissed the latest allegations as "a Western propaganda hoax," according to the Russian state's TASS news agency.
"When the test results are available and the formulas for the substances are disclosed, we will comment accordingly," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.
Russian opposition leader Navalny died in an Arctic prison colony in February 2024, after being convicted of extremism and other charges, all of which he denied.
His death was announced minutes before the opening of the Munich Security Conference in 2024. In response, the conference made a rare schedule adjustment to allow his widow, Yulia Navalnaya, to address the conference and she called for Putin to be held accountable.
"I was certain from the first day that my husband had been poisoned, but now there is proof ... I am grateful to the European states for the meticulous work they carried out over two years and for uncovering the truth," she said on social media.
The Russian embassy spokesperson said the European allies' move was "not a quest for justice but a mockery of the dead."
"Even after the death of the Russian citizen, London and the European capitals cannot allow him to rest in peace - a fact that speaks volumes about those who instigated this campaign," the spokesperson added.
Saturday's statement from the European allies, almost exactly two years after Navalny's death, said Moscow had the means, motive and opportunity to administer the poison as Navalny died in prison.
His death was followed by memorial gatherings and protests across Europe, with demonstrators in cities including London, Berlin, Vilnius and Rome condemning the Kremlin and demanding accountability.
The joint statement added that the latest findings underlined the need for Russia to be held accountable for "its repeated violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention and, in this instance, the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention."
Trump said the U.S. and Iran were making progress in peace talks, though direct negotiations remain premature. Meanwhile, Israel, reportedly, ...
Shipping group Maersk beat first-quarter profit forecasts on Thursday but warned that the Iran war had pushed its fuel costs up by around $500 mill...
An Israeli air strike has killed the son of Hamas’ chief negotiator in U.S.-mediated Gaza talks, as group leaders met in Cairo to shore up a ...
A senior commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on Wednesday (6 May), highlighting ongoing ...
European Union countries and European Parliament lawmakers have agreed on a softened version of the bloc’s l...
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) remains central to efforts to curb nuclear arms. More than 50 years after entering into force, it faces mounting pressure from geopolitical rivalry, modernisation and disputes over disarmament.
Latvian authorities said two drones entered NATO member Latvia from Russian territory and crashed on Thursday morning, with officials linking them to Ukraine’s wider drone operations against targets in Russia.
Russia has restricted some mobile internet services ahead of Victory Day on Saturday (9 May), citing security concerns. The annual celebrations, marking victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War, have been scaled back amid fears of attacks from Ukraine.
Ukraine has accused Russia of violating a ceasefire proposed by Kyiv that came into effect at midnight on 6 May, reporting continued strikes that left at least one person dead and several others injured across frontline regions.
Trump said the U.S. and Iran were making progress in peace talks, though direct negotiations remain premature. Meanwhile, Israel, reportedly, struck senior Hezbollah and Hamas figures and tensions over Hormuz and Tehran’s nuclear programme continue.
U.S. President Donald Trump said that Iran wanted to negotiate and make a deal in comments to reporters on Wednesday (6 May). But earlier, he warned Washington would ramp up attacks if no agreement was reached.
Argentinian authorities are reconstructing the journeys of Dutch citizens who presented with symptoms of deadly hantavirus after visiting Argentina and Chile as part of a luxury cruise trip, the country's Health Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday (6 May)
The United Arab Emirate said it was dealing with missile and drone attacks from Iran for the second day in a row on Tuesday (5 May), despite denials from authorities in Tehran who threatened a "crushing response" if the UAE retaliated.
The 61st Venice Biennale has opened under grey skies and political tension, with disputes over Russia and Israel, resignations on the jury, and protests marking the start of one of the art world’s most high-profile events.
Shipping group Maersk beat first-quarter profit forecasts on Thursday but warned that the Iran war had pushed its fuel costs up by around $500 million a month, adding that the energy crisis would persist even if a peace deal were reached.
European Union countries and European Parliament lawmakers have agreed on a softened version of the bloc’s landmark artificial intelligence rules, including delayed implementation, in a move critics say reflects growing concessions to major technology firms.
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) remains central to efforts to curb nuclear arms. More than 50 years after entering into force, it faces mounting pressure from geopolitical rivalry, modernisation and disputes over disarmament.
Latvian authorities said two drones entered NATO member Latvia from Russian territory and crashed on Thursday morning, with officials linking them to Ukraine’s wider drone operations against targets in Russia.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 7th of May, covering the latest developments you need to know.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment