On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed concerns over the accusation by five European allies that Russia used a nerve agent to kill Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny two years ago. Rubio stated that the report is unsettling and the U.S. has no reason to doubt it.
During his visit to Slovakia on Sunday, Rubio held a press conference in Bratislava, the capital, where he told reporters, “We are obviously aware of this report. It is a troubling report. We are familiar with the case of Mr. Navalny, and of course… we have no reason to question it.”
The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands issued a joint statement on Saturday confirming without a doubt that analysis of Navalny’s body samples revealed the presence of a nerve agent known as the arrow poison frog toxin. This toxin is not naturally found in Russia but exists in arrow poison frogs in South America.
According to the Russian state news agency TASS, the Russian government has repeatedly denied any responsibility for Navalny’s death two years ago in a remote Arctic exile, dismissing the latest accusations as “a Western propaganda hoax.”
When asked why the U.S. did not join the joint statement, Rubio explained that the assessment report was the result of the collective efforts of the five European countries. “These countries drew this conclusion. They coordinated this action. We chose – it does not mean we disagree with the result. We just – it is not our effort. Sometimes, countries will take actions based on the intelligence they collect themselves,” Rubio said.
He further added, “We’re not going to dispute or confront these countries over this issue. But it’s their report, released by them to the public.”
Russian opposition leader Navalny died in a prison exile in the Arctic region in February 2024. Prior to his death, Russian authorities convicted him on charges of extremism and other allegations, which he denied.
(The article referenced reporting from Reuters)