Biden considers new sanctions against Russia after Navalny's death
The president and those close to the Russian dissident blame Vladimir Putin and his government for his death.
(Cordon Press)
President Joe Biden announced this Monday to the press that his administration is considering imposing additional sanctions against Russia in response to the death of political dissident Alexei Navalny in an Arctic prison.
Last Friday, the day the death of Putin's lawyer and rival opponent went public, President Biden told the media that the Russian government and Putin's "thugs" were to blame for Navalny's death.
"We already have sanctions, but we are considering additional sanctions, yes," President Biden said in front of reporters this Monday. He did not go into detail about what these sanctions could be. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, international punitive measures against Russia have intensified and altered the world's economy.
It is also unclear to what extent the Biden administration will be able to apply additional relevant sanctions on Russia. At the international level, the House of Representatives and the Senate have been unable to work in unison to pass bills that are in line with the White House's foreign policy.
The Senate approved legislation providing $95 billion in international aid to Israel, Taiwan and Ukraine, with the latter country receiving around $60 billion from the package. Success in the House of Representatives is not a given, however. Many Republican legislators are just as concerned as Democrats about the administration's efforts to support Ukraine.
In statements reported by AFP, Biden said he hoped that Navalny's death would change Republican legislators' stance. They are currently under the leadership of Speaker Mike Johnson in the House.
Murder in the Russian Arctic
Alexei Navalny's entourage claims that the Putin regime killed him. Among them is Navalny's wife, who directly blamed the Russian president for her husband's death.
Over the next 14 days, a team of medical experts will perform a rigorous autopsy on Navalny's body to get more details about his death. The deceased's entourage claims that the authorities prevented them from seeing the body. Until now, a paramedic working at the hospital where his body was taken stated that the body showed signs of violence.
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