In a brief statement to reporters on Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said: "It is certain that Alexei Navalny has been the victim of a crime. I condemn it. The German government."
Merkel said the toxicity test concluded
that a longtime critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin had been poisoned’
with Novak, a Soviet-developed product of the end of the Cold War. Were
neuronal grade military agents. Was not present outside the current Russian
army. .
Within minutes of the announcement, world
leaders intended to strongly condemn the heinous act.
World leaders reacted
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has
called the use of chemical weapons "outrageous" and said "the
Russian government must now explain what happened to Mr. Neville."
US National Security Council spokesman
John Elliott tweeted: "The United States is deeply disturbed by the
results released today. Alexei Navalny's poisoning is completely
reprehensible." Kind of, and certainly not with chemical agents. "
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian
said: "I want to condemn in the strongest terms the shocking and
irresponsible use of such an agent." Le Drian noted that Novichok use
violated international law banning chemical weapons.
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Markin
Predakz called for an international inquiry.
"This is a reprehensible and cowardly
act. Once again, the perpetrators need to be brought to justice," said
European Commission President Ursula van der Leyen.
EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell
said in a statement that the bloc "condemned" the use of chemical
weapons in the strongest possible terms. "In any case, the use of chemical
weapons is completely unacceptable and against international law. That, too, is
a violation. "
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has
condemned the use of military-grade nerves, saying, "This is shocking, and
I strongly condemn it." In a tweet, Stoltenberg said: "NATO will
consider any use of chemical weapons a threat to international peace and
security."
Russia wants to blame Germany
However, Russian officials have refrained
from commenting extensively, preferring to accuse Germany of failing to share
results with Russian law enforcement. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said
Russian officials were "ready and interested in full cooperation and
exchange of information." Peskov also reiterated his claim that Russian
doctors had found no toxic substances in the neoplastic system.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria
Zakharova used Russian state television to denounce Germany, saying Berlin was
"making public statements without providing any facts."
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