The Biden administration plans to announce a response to Alexei Navalny’s death Friday, one day before the second anniversary of Russia’s bloody invasion.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has in the last two years caused the death of hundreds of thousands of people, from innocent civilians in Ukraine to the poorly trained conscripts he uses as cannon fodder in his war of aggression.
Yet through it all, Alexei Navalny sat in prison — alive.
Putin feared Navalny enough to jail him but feared even more what would happen if he killed him.
Watching support for Ukraine dwindle in the US Congress and the Ukrainian supply of weapons dwindle on the battlefield, Putin likely decided he had no more to fear from eliminating Russia’s living symbol of democracy and dissent.
It is time to give Putin something to fear again.
The Biden administration plans to announce a response to Navalny’s death Friday, one day before the second anniversary of Russia’s bloody invasion.
If President Biden is serious about ending Russian impunity, here are some steps he should take.
Some will require congressional approval, testing whether the House and Senate are true friends of freedom or more interested in playing political games.
To show Putin America means business, it is time to:
* Substantially increase the amount and type of military aid for Ukraine, including fighter jets and long-range missiles, and remove the restriction on using this weaponry to strike inside Russia. This is the moment to show Russian aggression will not be rewarded with a US retreat.
