US President Biden meets Navalny's wife and daughter, vows sanctions against Russia
US President Joe Biden met Navalny's widow and daughter in California
US President Joe Biden held a private meeting with the wife and daughter of the Kremlin opposition leader Alexei Navalny,who recently died in a Russian prison. Yulia and Dasha Navalnaya met Biden in San Francisco, the White House confirmed. During the meeting, Biden expressed his heartfelt condolences for their loss.
The White House, in a statement, wrote, "President Biden met with Yulia and Dasha Navalnaya today in San Francisco to express his heartfelt condolences for their terrible loss following the death of Aleksey Navalny in a Russian prison. The President expressed his admiration for Aleksey Navalny’s extraordinary courage and his legacy of fighting against corruption and for a free and democratic Russia in which the rule of law applies equally to everyone."
"The President emphasised that Aleksey’s legacy will carry on through people across Russia and around the world mourning his loss and fighting for freedom, democracy, and human rights," the statement added.
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In the private meeting, Biden also reaffirmed that his administration will impose fresh sanctions against Russia on Saturday (February 24). Calling out Russia’s "repression and aggression", the White House said that the ongoing war by Russia in Ukraine is "brutal and illegal."
Sanctions against 500 targets
The United States, in commemoration of the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, will impose sanctions on over 500targets, according to Deputy US Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo.
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These sanctions, executed in collaboration with other nations, will specifically target Russia's military-industrial complex and entities in third countries that facilitate Russia's procurement of desired goods. The objective is to hold Russia accountable for its role in the Ukraine conflict and for Navalny's death.
“Tomorrow we’ll release hundreds of sanctions just here in the United States, but it’s important to step back and remember that it’s not just America taking these actions,” Adeyemo said.
(With inputs from agencies)