EU lawmakers expected to back call to Nord Stream 2 after Navalny arrest

European Union lawmakers are expected to support a resolution on Thursday calling for the bloc to stop the completion of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to take Russian natural gas to Europe, in response to the arrest of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin's most prominent critic, was detained at the weekend and later jailed for alleged parole violations after flying back to Russia for the first time since being poisoned by a military grade nerve agent. Lawmakers in the European Parliament will vote at 1530 GMT on the resolution, which is expected to pass, calling on the EU to review relations with Russia in light of Navalny's arrest.

A draft of the resolution, which is not binding but carries political weight, seeks an immediate stop to construction of the German-Russian Nord Stream 2 pipeline.