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.
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.
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.
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."
Biden will hold a separate press conference to discuss his meeting with his Russian counterpart.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Swiss bliss: Chenot Palace Weggis takes wellness to the next level
The Blend Heath retreat on Switzerland's Lake Lucerne offers a mid-winter reset
By Felix Bischof Published
-
Earth's mini-moon was the moon all along
Under the radar More lunar rocks are likely floating in space
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: February 4, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Cuba's mercenaries fighting against Ukraine
The Explainer Young men lured by high salaries and Russian citizenship to enlist for a year are now trapped on front lines of war indefinitely
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Ukraine-Russia: are both sides readying for nuclear war?
Today's Big Question Putin changes doctrine to lower threshold for atomic weapons after Ukraine strikes with Western missiles
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Incendiary device plot: Russia's 'rehearsals' for attacks on transatlantic flights
The Explainer Security officials warn of widespread Moscow-backed 'sabotage campaign' in retaliation for continued Western support for Ukraine
By The Week UK Published
-
What would happen if Russia declared war on Nato?
In depth Response to an attack on UK or other Western allies would be 'overwhelming'
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Last updated
-
Missile escalation: will long-range rockets make a difference to Ukraine?
Today's Big Question Kyiv is hoping for permission to use US missiles to strike deep into Russian territory
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Atesh: the Ukrainian partisans taking on Russia
Under The Radar Underground resistance fighters are risking their lives to defend their country
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
'Second only to a nuclear bomb' – the controversial arms Russia is using in Ukraine
The Explainer Thermobaric bombs 'capable of vaporising human bodies' have been used against Ukraine
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The peaceful archipelago that may take up arms
Under The Radar Russia's invasion of Ukraine has left the Åland Islands 'peculiarly vulnerable'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published