Angela Merkel pokes Vladimir Putin in eye with Alexei Navalny visit

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny says that German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited him at a Berlin hospital.

Chancellor Angela Merkel takes her seat during the weekly cabinet meeting last week in Berlin. Picture: Getty Images

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said on Monday that German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited him at a Berlin hospital where he was treated after being poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent.

“I am very grateful to Chancellor Merkel for visiting me at the hospital,” the anti-corruption campaigner wrote on Twitter following reports of the meeting in German media.

The 44-year-old was discharged from Charite Hospital in Berlin last week after receiving treatment over several weeks for exposure to novichok. He fell ill on a flight from Siberia to Moscow last month in what his allies say was a state-sanctioned attack — laboratories in France, Germany and Sweden all confirmed he had been poisoned.

German magazine Der Spiegel reported on Sunday that Mrs Merkel had visited Mr Navalny in what it described as a “secret” meeting at the Charite that underscored her personal commitment to the Kremlin critic’s case.

Mr Navalny confirmed the meeting but argued the label “secret” was not accurate, saying: “Rather, a private meeting and conversation with the family.”

The Kremlin has denied allegations of involvement in the poisoning and accused the West of launching a disinformation campaign. President Vladimir Putin was reported to have suggested that Mr Navalny had poisoned himself.

Russia insists medical tests carried out by doctors in Omsk found no poison in Mr Navalny’s body. It says it lacks grounds for a criminal investigation, despite international calls for a transparent probe. Navalny spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh has said the Kremlin critic plans to return to Russia but will remain in Germany until he has recovered.

AFP