Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley presses former President Donald Trump to call out Russian President Vladimir Putin following the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, but says his silence is “problematic” did.
“People who can’t call themselves dictators are a problem,” said Haley, a former South Carolina governor. Said He said this in an interview with anchor Kaitlan Collins on CNN’s “The Source.”
“You know, he should make a phone call. Not only should he blame Putin for what happened to Nalvany, but he should also blame Putin for the fact that he is holding Evan Gershkovitch hostage.” she continued, and has been detained in Russia for nearly a year. “He should condemn President Putin for invading Ukraine.”
Her comments came after Navalny, 47, was found unresponsive by a Russian federal prison. He was serving a 19-year sentence for extremism in one of Russia’s highest-security prisons in a remote region known for its harsh winters.
The opposition leader who rose from blogger to President Vladimir Putin’s biggest rival was the latest critic of the Russian president to be found dead, sparking international speculation that the Kremlin was involved. is causing concern.
Haley, like many others, has accused Putin of orchestrating Navalny’s death.
“Putin did this,” she said. I wrote this on Friday morning. on Platform X, formerly known as Twitter, following the news. “This is the same Putin that Donald Trump praises and defends. The same Trump that said, “In fairness to President Putin, you’re saying he killed people.” . I’ve never seen that before. ”
She echoed those claims on Saturday, insisting that Trump’s praise of Putin was only “emboldened” by the former president’s offensive comments about NATO. His harsh criticism of treaty alliances focuses on forcing NATO members to spend 2 percent of their GDP on defense. Otherwise, she vowed to revoke protections and suggested she would “encourage” Russia to attack.
“That means Donald Trump is siding with thugs who murder his political opponents,” Haley said. “He is siding with someone who has no desire to destroy America. He is siding with someone who is arresting American journalists and holding them hostage.”
Navalny’s death was confirmed on Saturday by his family, who said he had been murdered and called on Russia to return his body.
President Biden also blamed President Putin for his death on Friday.
“Make no mistake: President Putin is responsible for Mr. Navalny’s death. President Putin is responsible,” he said from the White House. “What happened to Mr. Navalny is further proof of Mr. Putin’s brutality. No one should be fooled.”
The president previously warned Putin during a meeting in Geneva in 2021 that there would be “catastrophic” consequences if Navalny died.
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