Kremlin “Ready to talk to America”
But the conflict continues over the Navalni protest
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Russia said it was “ready to talk to the new US administration.”
According to the Reuters news agency on the 24th (local time), spokesman Dmitry Peskov Kremlin Palace said, “We hope that the dialogue will be successful.” “Conversation is a process of finding the possibility to bring the bilateral relations closer,” he added. “If the US administration is ready to take this approach, our president will be willing to respond.”
Despite Russia’s sympathetic gestures towards US President Joe Biden, the two countries are struggling over the release of Russian opposition activist Alexey Navalni. Navalni collapsed due to poisoning symptoms in August of last year and was treated in Germany, and then returned to Russia on the 17th, but was arrested shortly after returning to Korea. In a statement at the time, the US State Department called for Navalni’s release, saying, “I urge the Russian government to provide a fair playing field for all parties and candidates intending to participate in the election.”
Both countries supported Navalni and clashed over anti-government protests across Russia the previous day. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized the U.S. embassy in Moscow for encouraging the protests by detailing the routes of the protesters. In response, the US embassy responded that “Russia has been suppressing civil society and independent media for many years.” The US State Department also issued a statement saying, “This weekend, harsh actions aimed at protesters and the media were carried out across Russia,” and expressed concern that “this limits civil society and its fundamental freedoms.”
Meanwhile, protests from Navalni supporters continued throughout Russia. AFP news agency reported that about 20,000 people participated in the protests in Moscow and 10,000 people in St. Petersburg. According to OVD-Info, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that monitors arrests of political prisoners, 3,521 protesters were arrested across Russia, including 1,398 in Moscow and 526 in St. Petersburg.
/ Reporter Kwak Yoon-ah [email protected]
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