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Germany, the present head of the European Union, will discuss possible sanctions against Russia over the poisoning of Alexei Navalny if the Kremlin doesn’t present an evidence quickly, its overseas minister mentioned Sunday.
Russian opposition chief and anti-corruption campaigner Navalny fell ailing on a flight final month and was handled in a Siberian hospital earlier than being evacuated to Berlin.
Germany mentioned final week there was “unequivocal evidence” that President Vladimir Putin’s high foe had been poisoned utilizing Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok.
“We have high expectations of the Russian government to solve this serious crime,” Heiko Maas instructed German each day Bild. “If the government has nothing to do with the attack, then it is in its own interest to back this up with facts.”
If Russia doesn’t assist make clear what occurred “in the coming days”, Germany will likely be compelled to “discuss a response with our allies,” Maas mentioned.
The crime against Navalny was a violation of the worldwide Chemical Weapons Convention and there should be an applicable response, he mentioned. “When we think about sanctions, they should be as targeted as possible.”
Western leaders and lots of Russians have expressed horror at what Navalny’s allies say is the primary identified use of chemical weapons against a high-profile opposition chief on Russian soil.
The Kremlin has denied accountability for the assault and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has mentioned that Germany is but to share any findings with Moscow’s prosecutors.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Sunday accused Germany of stalling efforts to probe the Navalny case.
“Berlin is stalling the process of investigation for which it’s calling. On purpose?” she mentioned on Facebook.
‘Several indications’
Maas mentioned there have been “several indications” that Russia was behind the poisoning, within the strongest accusations but from Germany.
“The deadly substance with which Navalny was poisoned has in the past been found in the hands of Russian authorities.
“Only a small number of people have access to Novichok and this poison was used by Russian secret services in the attack against former agent Sergei Skripal,” he mentioned, referring to a 2018 assault on the previous double agent and his daughter within the English metropolis of Salisbury.
The Skripals spent days in a coma earlier than recovering however native resident Dawn Sturgess died after selecting up a discarded fragrance bottle allegedly used to carry the poison.
The Navalny case is simply the newest in what Berlin has seen as a collection of provocations by Putin which have broken ties and known as future cooperation into query.
The poisoning comes a yr after the homicide in broad daylight of a former Chechen insurgent commander in a Berlin park, which German prosecutors imagine was ordered by Russia.
Nord Stream 2
German Chancellor Angela Merkel additionally revealed in May that Russia had focused her in hacking assaults, saying she had concrete proof of the “outrageous” spying makes an attempt.
On the topic of which sanctions may very well be mentioned by the EU, Maas didn’t rule out motion relating to Nord Stream 2, a multi-billion-euro Russian-German gasoline pipeline nearing completion that has drawn the ire of US and European companions alike.
“I hope… that the Russians do not force us to change our position on Nord Stream,” Maas mentioned, including that the implications of any potential cancellation of the challenge would additionally want to be weighed, and that the talk on sanctions shouldn’t be “reduced” to one level.
The controversial pipeline is supposed to ship Russian gasoline to Europe, however the German authorities has confronted rising calls to abandon it as tensions with Russia escalate.
Bild slammed Merkel final week for feedback that Nord Stream 2 needs to be judged independently from Moscow’s actions.
“Vladimir Putin views the gas pipeline as an important strategic weapon against Europe and as a vital source of funding for his war against his own people,” it mentioned.
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