Secretary of State Tony Blinken’s candidate said at a confirmation hearing on Tuesday that he is “extraordinary how frightened Vladimir Putin looks at one man” – Alexey Navalny.
Why does it matter: Russia’s most important opposition figure, Navalny, returned to Russia on Sunday and was quickly arrested. He has spent the last five months recovering in Germany after being poisoned by nerve agent Novichok. His detention is an early foreign policy challenge for the Biden administration.
What it says: Blinken told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that Navalny served as a voice for millions of Russians, “and their voices must be heard in Russia.”
- “Attempts to silence this voice by silencing Mr Navalny are something we strongly condemn,” Blinken added, noting that the arrest of Navalny and other points of tension with Russia would be “very important in order.” day for a new administration ”.
- Formerly National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan called for Navalny’s immediate release.
The most recent: Navalny was ordered to remain in pretrial detention for 30 days. He was officially arrested for violating suspended prison conditions for not meeting in December.
Not worth anything: Blinken praised Senator Mitt Romney, who is on the committee, for being “cautious” about Russia. Romney was mocked for referring to Russia as America’s “number one geopolitical enemy” in a 2012 presidential debate with Barack Obama, including Obama himself.
Go deeper: Bill Browder on Russia-US relations after the arrest of Alexei Navalny