Washington —President Biden meets with wife and daughter of late Russian opposition leader alexei navalny The White House announced that he would travel to California on Thursday to express his “deepest condolences” over his death.
“The President expressed his admiration for Alexei Navalny's extraordinary courage and work in the fight against corruption, and for a free and democratic Russia where the rule of law applies equally to everyone,” White said. The House announced a different spelling of Navalny's name. He outlined the meeting with Yulia Navalnaya and Dasha Navalnaya. “The President stressed that Alexei's legacy will be carried on through people throughout Russia and around the world, mourning his death and fighting for freedom, democracy and human rights.”
White House Posted photo A video of the meeting posted on social media showed the president embracing Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya. Yulia Navalnaya, who lives in exile from Russia, posted on Instagram earlier in the day that she was visiting her daughter, a student at Stanford University.
“I had the honor of meeting Alexei Navalny's wife and daughter this morning,” Biden told reporters Thursday afternoon in Los Angeles. “Obviously, he's an incredibly courageous man. “And his ability to take action is amazing.” My wife and daughter are also following suit. ”
The president also said his administration would “announce sanctions against President Putin responsible.” [Navalny’s] Die tomorrow. ”
According to CBS News, targets include companies, banks, and individuals in Russia and abroad.
The United States plans to impose more than 500 sanctions on Friday against Russia, its enablers and its military war machine, Treasury officials said. This is the biggest sanctions since Russia invaded Ukraine, officials told CBS News. Sanctions are issued by the Treasury Department and the State Department.
Navalny is Russian President Vladimir Putin's most prominent domestic opponent and critic, exposing corruption in Russia's elite and advocating for democratic reform. Russian authorities announced his death last week, sparking sadness around the world. Biden quickly blamed the Kremlin for his death.
In a meeting with Navalny's family, the president said, “In response to Alexei's death, Russia's repression and aggression, and its brutal and illegal war in Ukraine, the administration will “We have confirmed that we will be announcing major new sanctions.”
Navalny's death remains shrouded in mystery. He had been detained since 2021 after returning to Russia from Germany, where he was recovering from an attempted poisoning. He was most recently detained in a penal colony in Russia's far north, where he died. Russian authorities said his cause of death was still unknown.
On Thursday, Mr Navalny's mother Lyudmila Navalnaya said officials said: allowed her to see his body But he pressured her to agree to a quiet burial.
“They are blackmailing me and setting conditions for when, where and how my son should be buried,” she said. “They want to do it in secret without holding a memorial service.”
Yulia Navalnaya blamed the Russian authorities She allegedly killed her husband with a Soviet-era nerve agent and delayed releasing his body until all traces of the poison had disappeared. A Kremlin spokesman said the allegations were “totally baseless and irreverent accusations about the Russian head of state.”
Bo Erickson and Nancy Cordes contributed reporting.
