Biden's incoming national security adviser calls on Russia to release Navalny
Shortly after police detained Russian opposition leader and Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny upon his return to Moscow from Germany, where he was recovering from a poisoning allegedly carried out by Russia's FSB spy agency, President-elect Joe Biden's incoming National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan called for the anti-corruption activist's immediate release.
Sullivan said the Kremlin's actions were a "violation of human rights" and "an affront to the Russian people who want their voices heard."
The forceful statement quickly drew attention from members of the U.S. media, who compared it to the Trump administration's generally more lax approach to Moscow.
The Biden team, taking a different approach to Russia than Trump did: https://t.co/EMkPT3Ln7T
— Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) January 17, 2021
Sullivan also beat the current White House to the punch — there's been no word on the Navalny situation from President Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, or National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien as of yet.
Biden’s incoming national security advisor comments on @navalny’s detention in Moscow today, saying the Russian opposition leader should be immediately released. The urgency of this statement tells you something about how the Biden admin will be. The Trump admin is still mum. https://t.co/tIsS3sl9yq
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) January 17, 2021