Closing summary
The UN human rights expert on Russia has said that Alexei Navalny’s death was Moscow’s responsibility as he was either killed in prison or died from detention conditions that amounted to torture. “So the Russian government is responsible, one way or another, for his death,” Mariana Katzarova told Reuters.
Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, reportedly said she was open to a deal in which London supplies Ukraine with additional Storm Shadow missiles in exchange for Germany backfilling British long-range missile stocks.
Josep Borrell, the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy and vice-president of the European Commission, called for Europe to boost its defence industry to replenish depleting weapon stocks sent to Ukraine. It came as CNN reported that Russia is producing about 250,000 artillery munitions a month, or about 3 million a year, in contrast to the US and Europe, which collectively have the capacity to generate only about 1.2 million munitions annually to send to Kyiv, according to a senior European intelligence official.
The fallout from Pope Francis saying Ukraine should have “the courage to raise the white flag” and negotiate an end to the war with Russia continued on Monday. In an apparent reference to the remarks, Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said in a joint press conference with Sweden’s prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, that “surrender is not peace” for Ukraine, adding that only the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, had the power to end the war. The Kremlin’s invasion not only prompted formerly non-aligned nations Sweden and Finland to come under Nato’s defence umbrella, but now “Ukraine is closer to Nato membership than ever before,” Stoltenberg said. “When President Putin launched his full-scale invasion two years ago, he wanted less Nato and more control over his neighbours. He wanted to destroy Ukraine as a sovereign state, but he failed,” Stoltenberg said, adding that “Nato is bigger and stronger”, after Sweden became the alliance’s 32nd member last week. In an interview with Reuters, Stoltenberg distanced himself from French president Emmanuel Macron’s suggestion that western allies should not rule out deploying troops to Ukraine. “Nato has no plans to send troops to Ukraine and Nato’s not party to the conflict, nor are Nato allies,” Stoltenberg said.
Donald Trump will not give money to help Ukraine fight Russia if he wins the presidency again, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán said after meeting him in Floria on Friday. “He will not give a penny into the Ukraine-Russia war and therefore the war will end,” the Hungarian premier told state television on Sunday evening. “As it is obvious that Ukraine on its own cannot stand on its feet.” “If the Americans do not give money and weapons, and also the Europeans, then this war will be over. And if the Americans do not give money the Europeans are unable to finance this war on their own, and then the war will end.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on reports that Nikolai Yevmenov, the head of the Russian navy, had been replaced, saying he did not comment on decrees which were classified. The Izvestia newspaper said that Alexander Moiseyev, who previously served as commander of Russia’s northern fleet, had reportedly been appointed as acting navy chief.
Belarus has started a comprehensive inspection of combat readiness of the armed forces, the defence ministry said. The exercise will include the movement of military equipment, as well as training of personnel with live firing, according to the defence ministry.
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Russian government responsible for Alexei Navalny's death - UN rights expert
The UN human rights expert on Russia said that Alexei Navalny’s death was Moscow’s responsibility as he was either killed in prison or died from detention conditions that amounted to torture.
“So the Russian government is responsible, one way or another, for his death,” Mariana Katzarova told Reuters on the sidelines of an event on Russian political prisoners at the UN in Geneva.
Russia’s spy chief previously said that Navalny, who died on 16 February in an Arctic prison, died a natural death. The Kremlin has denied involvement in his death but western leaders have said they hold the Kremlin responsible for it.
Katzarova warned that other detainees in Russia could suffer the same fate as Navalny, saying she was “very worried” about opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza, among others.
“Ever since the death of Alexei Navalny, there is no day passing without asking myself, who is the next Navalny?” she said. “And there will be a next Navalny, for sure, with this level of repression.”
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