Staff Reports
In a recent address, President Joe Biden didn’t hold back when he declared that Russia is at fault for the death of Alexei Navalny, an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Emphasizing his point, Biden reinforced that “Putin is responsible”, not mincing words in the slightest. This fiery speech was complemented by Vice President Kamala Harris’ own bold statements, where she echoed Biden’s sentiments and advocated for a firm stance in U.S. foreign policy.
Biden blames Putin for Navalny death and calls for Congress to approve Ukraine aid https://t.co/k1lcLkWEvC https://t.co/k1lcLkWEvC
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) February 16, 2024
But it didn’t stop there. Both Biden and Harris used the opportunity to not only condemn Russia but also urge Congress to greenlight additional support for Ukraine, which has been on the receiving end of Russian aggression for two years. With the House of Representatives on a two-week recess, Biden expressed his disappointment, chastising the decision as “bizarre” and cautioning that history would remember this lack of backing for Ukraine.
The news of Navalny’s demise in a Russian prison sent shockwaves through the international community. The circumstances surrounding his death, occurring near the Arctic Circle where he was serving a 19-year sentence at a penal colony, are shrouded in mystery. However, suspicion runs rampant as Navalny was a persistent thorn in Putin’s side, often speaking out against the Russian leader and paying the price for his dissent.
Notably, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and GOP presidential candidate, Nikki Haley, didn’t hold back in her condemnation of Putin, attributing Navalny’s death directly to the Russian president. Even former President Donald Trump weighed in, attempting to shift the blame onto Biden and using the situation to assert that America’s global standing has deteriorated under the current administration.
Biden made sure to address Trump’s remarks, criticizing his predecessor’s past compliments of Putin as “outrageous” and insinuating that former presidents must be turning in their graves over such statements. The president also took a moment to praise Navalny’s courageous stand against corruption and injustice, emphasizing the price he paid for daring to speak the truth, even from within the confines of a prison cell.
This turning point in the ongoing tensions between the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine took place during a NATO meeting in Munich, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was in attendance, adding even more gravity to the situation. The world watches as Biden and his administration navigate these treacherous waters, determined to hold Russia accountable and support Ukraine against further aggression.
