U.S. reporter tells Putin his opponents end up 'dead, imprisoned, or jailed,' asks 'what are you so afraid of?'

Russian President Vladimir Putin faced several questions about the jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny during Putin's summit with President Biden in Geneva on Wednesday — unsurprisingly, he didn't exactly own up to any wrongdoing.

U.S. officials, including Biden, have repeatedly condemned Russia's persecution of Navalny, especially after the U.S. concluded earlier this year that the Kremlin was behind Navalny's poisoning. At Putin's closely-watched meeting with Biden, reporters pressed him on Russia's treatment of the opposition leader.

See more

Putin blamed Navalny for failing to properly register with authorities when he went to Germany after being poisoned with a nerve agent. "This man knew that he was breaking the law," said Putin when asked about Navalny's imprisonment. "He wanted, consciously, to break the law" by going abroad for treatment, Putin asserted.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
See more

The Russian president then pivoted to criticize the U.S. justice system. ABC News' Rachel Scott asked "the list of your political opponents who are dead, imprisoned, or jailed is long ... what are you so afraid of?," and Putin answered by invoking the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. He noted that some rioters were arrested after attacking the Capitol, saying "many people are facing the same things that we do."

See more

Biden will hold a separate press conference to discuss his meeting with his Russian counterpart.

To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Summer Meza, The Week US

Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.