US backs report on Navalny's poisoning as UK calls out 'Putin's murderous intent': Are sanctions next?

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday (Feb 15) said that the US has no reason to doubt or dispute the report by five European nations that blames Russia for poisoning opposition leader and fierce Putin critic Alexi Navalny in a prison in 2024. Rubio said that the report is "troubling" and that Washington had no reason to question it. He clarified that the US not joining the joint statement does not mean a disagreement between them. Five European countries, including the UK, France and Germany, accused Russia of "poisoning" Navalny with epibatidine toxin found in the skin of dart frogs.

Also Read: Russia killed Putin critic Navalny by poisoning with ‘rare toxin,’ say European states

"We obviously are aware of the report. It's a troubling report. We're aware of that case of Mr. Navalny and certainly... we don't have any reason to question it," Rubio told reporters at a news conference in Bratislava during a visit to Slovakia. When asked why the United States did not join the statement, Rubio said this was an endeavour by them. "Those countries came to that conclusion. They coordinated that. We chose - Doesn't mean we disagree with the outcome. We just, it wasn't, our endeavour. Sometimes countries go out and do their thing with based on the intelligence they've gathered. We're not disputing or getting into a fight with these countries over it. But it was their report, and they put that out there." Rubio said.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed Navalny's "courage in the face of tyranny" in a social media post, slamming “Putin's murderous intent.” Meanwhile, Britain said that it will consider "increasing sanctions" against Russia following the findings.

What Russia said on the allegations?

Russia on Saturday (February 14) strongly rejected the claims calling it “a Western propaganda hoax.” Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was quoted by the Russian state's TASS news saying, "When the test results are available and the formulas for the substances are disclosed, we will comment accordingly. Until then, all such assertions are merely propaganda aimed at diverting attention from pressing Western issues." She also criticized the timing of these allegations. “Just as the investigation into the Nord Stream explosions was about to yield results, suddenly Navalny's poisoning is brought into focus. When asked for Navalny's test results, Western officials instead circulated sensational stories about the Skripals. This pattern continues unabated,” she added. The Russian embassy in London said, “One must ask what kind of person would believe this nonsense about a frog.”

Also Read: 'Alexei, world hasn't forgotten your message': When Navalny director dedicated Oscar win to political prisoner

What European countries claimed?

A multi-agency inquiry involving the UK, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands released its findings on the sidelines of the Munich Security conference, ahead of the second anniversary of Navalny's death. Navalny, 47, a staunch critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, died in February 2024 in a Siberian penal colony while serving a 19 year prision sentence. The UK Foreign Office said that there is no plausible explanation for the toxin called epibatidine, being found in samples taken from Navalny's body. "Only the Russian state had the means, motive and opportunity to deploy this lethal toxin to target Navalny during his imprisonment in a Russian penal colony in Siberia, and we hold it responsible for his death," the UK Foreign Office added in a statement. Soon after, Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Navalny, said now it is proven scientifically that the Kremlin opponent had been murdered.