The nominee for Secretary of State Tony Blinken said at a confirmation hearing on Tuesday that he was “extraordinary how Vladimir Putin seems to be afraid of a man” – Alexey Navalny.
Why it matters: Russia’s most prominent opposition figure, Navalny, returned to Russia on Sunday and was quickly arrested. He spent the previous five months recovering in Germany after being poisoned with the nervous agent Novichok. His arrest represents an initial foreign policy challenge for the Biden government.
What is he saying: Blinken told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that Navalny served as a voice for millions of Russians, “and his voice needs to be heard in Russia”.
- “Attempts to silence that voice by silencing Mr. Navalny is something we strongly condemn,” added Blinken, noting that Navalny’s arrest and other points of tension with Russia would be “high on the agenda for a new government”.
- Jake Sullivan, incoming national security advisor, previously called to Navalny’s immediate release.
The most recently: Navalny was sentenced to remand for 30 days. He was officially arrested for violating the conditions of suspension of the prison sentence for missing an interview in December.
Worthless: Blinken praised Senator Mitt Romney, who serves on the committee, for being “prescient” in Russia. Romney was ridiculed for referring to Russia as the “number one geopolitical enemy” in a 2012 presidential debate with Barack Obama, including Obama himself.
Go deeper: Bill Browder on Russia-US relations after Alexei Navalny’s arrest