This archive report was first published on 20 June 2021.
Washington, June 20, 2021 - The United States is preparing fresh sanctions against Russia over the near-fatal poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, a top White House advisor warned Sunday.
Navalny, President Vladimir Putin's most prominent opponent, was arrested in January upon returning to Russia after recovering from a poisoning he says was orchestrated by Moscow.
Relations between Moscow and Washington had deteriorated significantly since President Joe Biden took office in January, with diplomatic ties all but severed.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told CNN's 'State of the Union' that the US had already sanctioned Russia for the poisoning of Navalny, and was now preparing another package of sanctions.
'We have sanctioned Russia for the poisoning of Alexei Navalny... We rallied European allies in a joint effort to impose costs on Russia for the use of a chemical agent against one of their citizens on Russian soil,' Sullivan said.
However, Moscow pushed back against the possibility of new sanctions, warning of a Russian response.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Telegram that 'the illegal actions of the United States have always been followed by a legitimate response from us.'
