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EFE |
President of the United States, Joe Biden, said this Monday that he is considering imposing new sanctions on Russia for the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, for which he has held Russian President Vladimir Putin responsible.
"We already have sanctions (on Russia), but we are considering additional sanctions, yes," Biden responded to a group of journalists upon arriving at the White House after spending the weekend in Delaware.
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Additionally, the Democratic leader said he hopes Navalny's death will push Republicans to lift the blockade they have in Congress on approving new military aid for Ukraine.
Biden criticized the Republican opposition for "drifting away" from NATO and the "international commitments" that the United States has.
"It's just stunning, it has never been seen before," he emphasized.
The U.S. president blamed Putin last Friday for Navalny's death and announced that he was considering various options to respond to this event.
In 2021, after meeting with Putin in Geneva, Biden had already warned of "devastating consequences" for Russia if Navalny died in prison.
According to Russian prison authorities, Navalny, 47, died after feeling unwell after taking a walk in the prison where he was detained, and although medical services tried to resuscitate him "for more than half an hour," he died.
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Navalny had survived a poisoning attempt with the Novichok chemical agent in 2020, and his health had been a growing concern after he went on a hunger strike between March and April 2021, during which he lost a significant amount of weight.