U.S. says conveyed 'grave concern' to Russia over Navalny case

The United States on Friday conveyed its "grave concern" to Russia about a German government finding that opposition politician Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a Soviet-style nerve agent, the U.S. State Department said. In a meeting in Washington, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun told Russian Ambassador Anatoliy Antonov that Moscow's use of this chemical weapon would be a clear violation of its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention.

The United States on Friday conveyed its "grave concern" to Russia about a German government finding that opposition politician Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a Soviet-style nerve agent, the U.S. State Department said.

In a meeting in Washington, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun told Russian Ambassador Anatoliy Antonov that Moscow's use of this chemical weapon would be a clear violation of its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention. "The Deputy Secretary urged Russia to cooperate fully with the international community's investigation into this attack," department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.

Germany, where Navalny is in hospital, has said the Russian opposition figure was poisoned with a Soviet-style Novichok nerve agent and wants the perpetrators held to account. Russia has until now not opened a criminal investigation and said there is no evidence yet of a crime. Navalny is the most popular and prominent opponent of President Vladimir Putin, and the German announcement this week that he was poisoned by a nerve agent has raised the possibility of further Western sanctions against Moscow.