Last year, Navalny was medically evacuated to Germany from a Russian hospital after he became ill following reports that something was added to his tea. Russian doctors treating Navalny denied that the Kremlin critic had been poisoned and blamed his comatose state on low blood sugar levels.
In September, the German government said that the 44-year-old Russian dissident was poisoned by a chemical nerve agent, describing the toxicology report as providing “unequivocal evidence.” The nerve agent was in the family of Novichok, which was developed by the Soviet Union.
The Kremlin has repeatedly denied having a role in Navalny’s poisoning.
Biden also discussed his recent decision to extend a crucial nuclear weapons treaty with Russia for five more years.
The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, was set to expire this week. The agreement is the sole arms control treaty in place between Washington and Moscow following former Trump’s withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces, or INF, treaty.
Similar to the INF treaty, New START limits the nuclear arsenals of Washington and Moscow. The United States and Russia own the lion’s share of the world’s nukes.
Read more: Former ambassador warns expiration of key nuclear treaty with Russia would make the U.S. ‘worse off’
“The New START Treaty’s verification regime enables us to monitor Russian compliance with the treaty and provides us with greater insight into Russia’s nuclear posture, including through data exchanges and onsite inspections that allow U.S. inspectors to have eyes on Russian nuclear forces and facilities,” Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in a statement Wednesday.
Blinken also added that the U.S. had assessed that Russia was in compliance with its New START Treaty obligations since the inception of the agreement in 2011.
Trade relations with China
Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/04/biden-vows-to-restore-alliances-in-first-foreign-policy-address.html
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