European leaders are shocked by the news of Navalny's death
Report of Aleksei A. Navalny's death drew condemnation from across Europe on Friday, with leaders holding the Russian government, and in particular President Vladimir V. Putin, responsible for the jailed Russian dissident's death.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, who was in Germany on Friday for the Munich Security Conference, said Mr Navalny was “killed by Putin, like thousands of others who were tortured because of this one being.”
The German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, who spoke alongside Mr Zelensky after signing a security deal with him in Berlin, expressed dismay at reports of Mr Navalny's death, calling them “very depressing”.
“It's terrible how Russia has changed,” Mr. Scholz said.
His predecessor as chancellor, Angela Merkel, who in 2020 managed to convince Mr Putin to allow Mr Navalny to be flown to Berlin for treatment after being poisoned, expressed her “great dismay” at reports of the opposition leader's death.
“He was a victim of the repressive Russian state power,” Merkel said in a statement. “It is devastating that a courageous, fearless voice who stood up for his country is being horribly silenced.”
During her 16 years in office, Ms. Merkel was considered the only Western leader able to communicate with Mr. Putin. Despite his repeated attempts to intimidate her, she insisted he would be more dangerous if isolated and maintained constant contact with him. During her last visit to Moscow as chancellor in August 2021, Ms Merkel urged the Russian president to release Mr Navalny, calling his detention “unacceptable”.
In France, where Mr Zelensky also visited on Friday, President Emmanuel Macron said: “In today's Russia, free spirits are put in the Gulag and sentenced to death. Anger and outrage.”
“I pay tribute to the memory of Alexei Navalny, his commitment and his courage,” Macron said wrote on the social platform X. “My thoughts are with his family, his loved ones and the Russian people.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain, whose country has long been an outspoken critic of Russia's detention of Mr. Navalny, as well as the broader crackdown on dissent, called Mr. Navalny's death “appalling.”
“As the fiercest advocate for Russian democracy, Alexei Navalny has shown incredible courage throughout his life,” Mr Sunak wrote on X. “My thoughts are with his wife and the Russian people, for whom this is a huge tragedy.”
Britain has had a tense relationship with Russia for years, a rift deepened by the poisoning of two former Russian intelligence agents on British soil over the past two decades, the subsequent expulsion of Russian diplomats from Britain, and the strong support from Britain to Ukraine afterwards. The large-scale invasion of Russia.
Mr Sunak's sentiments were echoed by other leaders.
The European Union “holds the Russian regime solely responsible for this tragic death,” European Council President Charles Michel said on social media. Mr Navalny, he added, “fought for the values of freedom and democracy. He made the ultimate sacrifice for his ideals.”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Navalny was “a powerful voice for freedom.” He added: “All the facts must be established and Russia has serious questions to answer.”