President Joe Biden met with the family of the late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny on Thursday, and praised his legacy of fighting for democracy and human rights in Russia. Biden also announced that he would impose new sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he held responsible for Navalny’s death.
Biden meets with Navalny’s wife and daughter in California
The meeting took place in California, where Biden was visiting to promote his infrastructure plan and attend a fundraiser. He met with Navalny’s wife, Yulia, and his daughter, Dasha, who live in exile from Russia. Navalny’s daughter is a student at Stanford University.
Biden expressed his “heartfelt condolences” to the Navalny family, and said he was “honored” to meet them. He said Navalny was a “man of incredible courage” who fought against corruption and for a free and democratic Russia. He also said Navalny’s legacy would “carry on through people across Russia and around the world mourning his loss and fighting for freedom, democracy, and human rights.”
The White House posted photos of the meeting on social media, showing Biden embracing Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny’s widow. Yulia Navalnaya posted on Instagram earlier in the day that she was visiting her daughter in California.
Biden announces new sanctions against Putin and Russia
Biden also told reporters that he would announce new sanctions against Putin and Russia on Friday, in response to Navalny’s death and other issues. He said Putin was “responsible for his death” and that the US would not “let up” on pressuring Russia.
CBS News has learned that the targets of the sanctions include more than 500 entities and individuals, both inside and outside Russia, who are involved in Russia’s repression, aggression, and war in Ukraine. The sanctions will be issued by the Treasury and State Departments, and will be the largest set of sanctions since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014.
The sanctions are also meant to send a message to Putin ahead of a possible summit between him and Biden later this year. Biden has said he wants to have a “stable and predictable” relationship with Russia, but also to hold it accountable for its actions.
Navalny’s death sparks global outrage and protests
Navalny was Putin’s most prominent domestic opponent and critic, who exposed corruption among the Russian elite and advocated for democratic reforms. He died last week in a penal colony in Russia’s far north, where he had been detained since 2021.
He had been poisoned with a nerve agent in 2020, and survived after being treated in Germany. He returned to Russia in January 2021, and was arrested and sentenced to prison on politically motivated charges. He went on a hunger strike to protest his treatment and lack of medical care, and his health deteriorated rapidly.
His death sparked global outrage and condemnation, as well as protests and vigils in Russia and other countries. Many world leaders, including Biden, blamed Putin and the Kremlin for his death, and called for an international investigation and accountability.
Navalny’s supporters and allies vowed to continue his work and his vision of a democratic Russia. They also called for more sanctions and pressure on Putin and his regime, and urged the international community to stand with the Russian people.
