Death of Alexei Navalny: West faces question of how to respond

Alexei Navalny’s widow was to meet European foreign ministers overnight as the West grapples with how to respond to the death of the Kremlin critic.

Alexei Navalny and his wife, Yulia Navalnaya. Picture: Reuters

Alexei Navalny’s widow was to meet European foreign ministers in Brussels overnight as the West grapples with how to respond to the death of the Kremlin critic.

Announcing that Yulia Navalnaya would be welcomed to the bloc’s Foreign Affairs Council, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said “EU ministers will send a strong message of support to freedom fighters in Russia” and ­“honour” Navalny’s memory.

In the hours following the announcement that her husband had died, Ms Navalnaya, who had not seen him in two years, said she held Vladimir Putin responsible.

She called on the international community to “unite and defeat this evil, terrifying regime”.

Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Ms Navalnaya’s words “will make us feel the threat that weighs on Russian citizens and on every region of our ­Europe”, where “violence, brutality and war have been shamefully and irresponsibly returned”.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron urged G7 countries to seize Russian central bank assets held in the West as he ­signalled the UK would act over Navalny’s death. He also signalled the UK could sanction Russian ­officials in response.

President Joe Biden said the US was looking at a “number of ­options” to punish Russia and there was “no doubt” Mr Putin was to blame.

While many European leaders directly or indirectly blamed Mr Putin for Navalny’s death, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva cautioned against rushing to judgment.

Speaking in Addis Ababa, where he was attending an African Union summit, Mr Lula said it was important to avoid “speculation” and await the results of an autopsy.

“If you judge now … afterwards you have to apologise. Why the rush to accuse?” he said.

Navalny could have been sick or had a health problem, he said.

Mr Lula has faced criticism for being soft on Mr Putin, his fellow leader in the BRICS grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

The Brazilian President has been critical of the US and European responses to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying Kyiv shares the blame for the conflict and refusing to join international sanctions on Moscow.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Western leaders of “absolutely unacceptable” and “hysterical” reactions to Navalny’s death. In several cities around Europe, Navalny supporters continued to pay tribute to him on Sunday (Monday AEDT). In Germany, people laid flowers and candles at a memorial in front of the Russian embassy in Berlin.

AFP