National security adviser Jake Sullivan warned of “consequences” on Sunday if Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny dies while in custody.
The warning follows reports that Navalny “could die at any moment” three weeks into a hunger strike meant to protest the lack of medical care he’s receiving in confinement. Sullivan also warned of more “costs” to the Russian government following a wave of sanctions implemented this week by President Joe Biden to punish the regime for the SolarWinds hack, a massive U.S. data breach, and election interference.
“We have communicated to the Russia government that what happens to Mr. Navalny in their custody is their responsibility, and they will be held accountable by the international community,” Sullivan told CNN’s Dana Bash. “In terms of the specific measures that we would undertake, we are looking at a variety of different costs that we would impose, and I’m not going to telegraph that publicly at this point, but we have communicated that there will be consequences if Mr. Navalny dies.”
Biden, despite his stiff stance against Russian interference, has faced criticism for not denouncing the government’s treatment of Navalny, especially during a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week. Sullivan, however, insisted that “direct communication” to the regime was a preferable alternative to “general” public statements.
NAVALNY ANNOUNCES HUNGER STRIKE IN PRISON IN DEMAND FOR PROPER MEDICAL CARE
“We have judged that rather than just make general statements publicly, the best way to deal with this issue is privately and through diplomatic channels direct to the uppermost levels of the Russian government,” he added.
In January, Navalny returned to Russia after receiving treatment in Germany for nerve agent poisoning, which experts suspect was the result of a plot by the Russian government to have him killed. On returning to the country, Navalny was arrested and sentenced to serve 2 1/2 years in prison for violating the terms of his parole. He has insisted that the charges are retribution, and his sentence was reduced minimally by an appeals court.
In late March, the Russian dissident wrote a letter to jail authorities demanding he be visited by a doctor, commencing a hunger strike. His allies have insisted that he has not been given proper medical attention since his arrival.
“I really need a doctor. Every convict has the right (by law) to invite a specialist to examine and consult him. Even I have such a right and I’m innocent,” Navalny wrote in the letter. “I demand that a doctor be allowed to see me, and until this happens, I am declaring a hunger strike.”
On Thursday morning, Biden signed an executive order banning U.S. financial institutions from dealing with and lending to the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, the National Wealth Fund of the Russian Federation, and the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation in ruble and nonruble denominated funds and primary market bonds, effective June 14.
A senior administration official told reporters that the sanctions were “a clear signal to the Russian government that we will not accept destabilizing behavior that harms the United States, our people, our allies and partners, and that we will respond with economically impactful costs.”
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On Friday, the Kremlin responded and vowed to expel 10 U.S. diplomats from the country, the same number of foreign dignitaries Biden pledged to remove in his sanctions.
“Now is the time for the United States to demonstrate good sense and to turn its back on a confrontational course,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “Otherwise an array of painful decisions for the American side will be implemented.”
