Trump breaks silence on Navalny, does not accuse Putin

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Donald Trump, who has faced criticism as U.S. president for praising Russian leader Vladimir Putin, made his first public comments on the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Monday in a cryptic social media post that denied any blame. Was applied.

“The sudden death of Alexei Navalny has made me even more aware of what is happening in our country,” Trump wrote in a social media post.

“This is a slow, steady progression, with crooked, radical leftist politicians, prosecutors and judges leading us down a path of destruction. Open borders, rigged elections and grossly unfair court decisions are destroying America. We are in decline. There is one nation, one failed nation! MAGA2024”

President Joe Biden on Friday squarely blamed Putin for the deaths at the penal colony north of the Arctic Circle, as did Trump’s main Republican rival, Nikki Haley. “Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death,” Biden said.

Since the report came out on Friday, former presidents of both parties and top members of Congress have also condemned Putin over the death of Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition leader. But Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination to challenge Biden in the November election, had remained silent until Monday.

During his 2017–2021 White House tenure, Trump expressed admiration for Putin.

Last week, he suggested that the United States cannot protect NATO allies that are not spending enough on defense from potential Russian aggression.

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Scott Malone and Nick McPhee)

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