The effective confirmation by five European countries that Russia did kill opposition leader Alexei Navalny in 2024 did not surprise those familiar with the Kremlin’s track record.
But the Feb. 14 statement, which blames Russia for the murder and specifies the kind of poison used, represents a new milestone in the deterioration in Russian-European relations.
Previously European countries were more reluctant to antagonize Russia. But Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and Kremlin-linked murders and sabotage all over the continent have pushed Europe towards a harsher and more resolute approach.
“It looks like (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s penchant for killing has been recognized as outrageous,” Russian political analyst Dmitry Oreshkin told the Kyiv Independent. “And now it will be impossible to restore normal relations with him. The idea that it is possible to make deals with him is becoming less and less popular in Europe.”
The exact same thing that the confirmation that the president of the United States is a pedo does.