The American president, Joe Biden, This Thursday he met in San Francisco with the widow and daughter of the late Russian oppositionist Alexei Navalny, whose death forced hundreds of Russians to gather in impromptu vigils, while the United States and other countries point to the Kremlin as responsible.
After the meeting, in statements to the press, Biden said this Navalny was «a man of incredible courage» and said his opponent’s widow, Yulia Navalny, and his daughter Dasha, who studies at Stanford University in California, «are following his example.»
Regarding Navalny’s widow, Biden declared that he will «continue the fight» and that he «will not give up.»
Furthermore, Biden reiterated that the United States will announce this Friday a package of sanctions against Russia in retaliation for Navalny’s death and assured that this punishment will go «against Putin, who is responsible for his death.»
Shortly before, the White House had reported the meeting in a statement, during which Biden expressed his «heartfelt condolences» to his opponent’s widow and daughter for the «terrible loss» of the death of his 47-year-old father. the main opposition voice against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to the White House, during the meeting, Biden expressed to everyone his «admiration» for Navalny’s «extraordinary courage» and for «his legacy in the fight against corruption and for a free and democratic Russia in which the State of law is applied equitably.» «.
The White House declined to say what specific sanctions the United States will announce this Friday against Russia, a country that has been subject to numerous economic restrictions by both Washington and the European Union (EU) since the invasion of Ukraine . almost two years ago.
The Biden administration has imposed several sanctions against Russia, including actions against Russia isolate oligarchs close to Putin, sanctions against the energy sector and the exclusion of Russian banks from the SWIFT international interbank communication system, which further isolated the Russian economy from the international financial system.
Shortly after Navalny’s death, made public on February 16, Biden had already warned that he was evaluating «several options» to respond to that loss, for which he holds Putin directly responsible.
The American president had already anticipated this in 2021, after the meeting with Putin in Geneva If Navalny died in prison there would be «devastating consequences» for Russia.
Navalny’s widow directly blames Putin for ordering the murder of his main political opponent.