Biden says Putin and ‘his thugs’ responsible for Navalny death

US President Joe Biden directly blames Russian leader Vladimir Putin for the reported death of Alexei Navalny in prison, describing the Kremlin critic as a “powerful voice for the truth.”

Saying he was “outraged,” Biden says he did not yet know exactly what had happened to 47-year-old Navalny, but that it was the fault of Putin and his “thugs.”

“Make no mistake, Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death,” Biden says in televised remarks from the White House.

“What has happened to Navalny is yet more proof of Putin’s brutality. No one should be fooled.”

Biden, who has branded Putin a dictator over his invasion of Ukraine and treatment of opponents, says he was “looking at a whole number of options” on how to respond but did not go further.

Asked in 2021 after meeting Putin in Switzerland, what would happen were Navalny to die, Biden says he told the Russian leader that Moscow would face “devastating” consequences.

Biden hails Navalny’s achievements and sent condolences to the Kremlin opponent’s wife and children.

Biden recalls that Navalny had been poisoned while in exile and had then returned to Russia despite knowing the risks to his safety.

Navalny was “so many things that Putin is not,” he says.

“Even in prison he was a powerful voice for the truth,” Biden says. “God bless Alexei Navalny, his courage will not be forgotten.”