WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th August, 2020) The United States is willing to help in a possible investigation into the sudden illness of Russian opposition activist Alexey Navalny if the reports about him being poisoned prove to be accurate, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement on Tuesday.
"The United States is deeply concerned by reported preliminary conclusions from German medical experts that Russian opposition activist Aleksey Navalny was poisoned," Pompeo said. "If the reports prove accurate, the United States supports the EU's call for a comprehensive investigation and stands ready to assist in that effort."
On Monday, doctors at Berlin's Charite clinic said Navalny was poisoned, but added the tests to determine the exact substance used in his poisoning continue. However, Russian doctors said they disagree with the assessment of their German colleagues.
"Mr. Navalny's family and the Russian people deserve to see a full and transparent investigation carried out and for those involved to be held accountable," Pompeo said. "Our thoughts are with Mr. Navalny's family and we hope for his full recovery."
The Klemlin does not see any grounds for opening an investigation into Navalny's sudden illness as the exact substance that caused him to fall ill is still being determined and the medical examination is ongoing, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier on Tuesday.
Asked whether there could be a criminal case as well as a medical one, Peskov said that there must be a reason for an investigation and if a poisoning is confirmed, it can be grounds for an investigation.
The most important thing right now is to help Navalny get well, Peskov added.
Navalny fell ill on a flight from Tomsk to Moscow and was hospitalized after an emergency landing in the Siberian city of Omsk. Navalny's spokeswoman alleged immediately that he may have been poisoned, but Omsk doctors said there were no traces of poison in Navalny's blood or urine and suggested metabolic disbalance and low sugar level as the main working diagnosis.
On Saturday, Navalny was transported to the Charite clinic in Berlin, where doctors said he appears to have experienced being intoxicated with cholinesterase inhibitors.
The Russian doctors said Navalny's condition could be caused by a number of medical drugs or occur naturally.
