February 6, 2021
2 mins read

‘Unacceptable’: Russia rejects US demand for Navalny’s release

 Russia views US President Joe Biden’s call for the immediate release of opposition figure Alexei Navalny as aggressive and counterproductive, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

“This is a very aggressive and unconstructive rhetoric, unfortunately,” TASS News Agency quoted the spokesman as saying to reporters at a briefing on Friday.

“Any hints of an ultimatum are absolutely unacceptable to us,” Peskov added

He reiterated that Moscow will not heed such claims, saying that despite existing differences, Russia hopes the US will demonstrate “political will” to continue mutually beneficial communication.

US President Joe Biden

“We hope that alongside a huge number of disagreements and differences in approaches to key issues, grounds for cooperation will still remain,” Peskov said.

In his first major foreign policy speech after taking office last month, Biden on Thursday demanded that Navalny be freed.

“The politically-motivated jailing of Alexei Navalny and the Russian efforts to suppress freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are a matter of deep concern to us and the international community,” Biden said.

“He should be released immediately and without condition.”

The President added that the US would not hesitate to “raise the cost on Russia” over the incident.

Navalny, a harsh critic of the Russian government, was detained on January 17 upon his landing at a Moscow airport from Germany, where he had received medical treatment for alleged poisoning over the past few months.

Russian President Vladimir Putin(Yonatan Sindel/JINI via Xinhua/IANS)

His detention sparked ongoing mass protests in major Russian cities, including capital Moscow, St Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yakutsk, Omsk and Yekaterinburg.

In a related development also on Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry declared a Swedish, a Polish and a German diplomat personae non gratae due of their participation in the January 23 “unauthorized rallies” in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

“In compliance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of April 18, 1961, diplomats who took part in unauthorized rallies have been declared personae non gratae. They must leave Russia as soon as possible,” the TASS News Agency quoted the Ministry as saying in a statement.

The diplomats were summoned to the Ministry earlier in the day.

“The Russian side expects that Sweden’s, Poland’s and Germany’s diplomatic missions and their personnel will strictly abide by international law,” the statement added.

Previous Story

Military confirms Suu Kyi is in good health

Next Story

‘We are on track’: Trudeau reassures Canadians on vaccine

Latest from -Top News

US Backs India’s Hunt for Pahalgam Terrorists

Gabbard’s “hunt down” message comes amidst escalating Indian response to the terrorist attack, saying it had clear “cross-border” links to Pakistan….reports Asian Lite News Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence (DNI), on

Border Sealed, Hopes on Hold

A Hindu family from Balochistan’s Sibi was reportedly denied entry into India after the closure of border crossing….reports Asian Lite News Pakistan and India’s decision to shut down the Wagah-Attari border crossing

West visits Cambodia to strengthen ties 

The visit also addresses shared security concerns, including combating serious organised crime and human trafficking, and future defence cooperation initiatives  The UK and Cambodia are collaborating to advance climate initiatives and promote
Go toTop