Europe Blames Kremlin for Navalny Poisoning

Five European nations announced Saturday that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned by the Kremlin with a rare and lethal toxin found in the skin of poison dart frogs, according to multiple reports. The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands released a joint statement confirming the presence of epibatidine in Navalny's body, a toxin not naturally found in Russia, and asserting the Russian government's culpability. Navalny died in a remote Siberian prison two years prior.

The joint statement, released on Saturday, indicated that analysis of samples taken from Navalny's body provided conclusive evidence of the poison. The governments stated that there was "no innocent explanation" for the toxin's presence. Epibatidine is naturally found in South American dart frogs, but not in captive dart frogs or in Russia.

The announcement comes as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a key foreign policy speech to European leaders at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. Rubio stated that the United States wanted to revitalize its relationship with Europe, emphasizing the shared history and intertwined destinies of the two regions. "We want Europe to be strong," Rubio said, according to a Time report, adding that the world wars of the 20th century served as a reminder of their shared fate. This speech was viewed by some European leaders as an olive branch after a previous antagonistic appearance by Vice President J.D. Vance at the same forum.

The news of Navalny's poisoning and the U.S.'s renewed interest in European relations occurred on the same day as the observance of Presidents' Day. This federal holiday, observed on the third Monday of February, honors the birthday and legacy of the first U.S. President, George Washington. Lindsay Chervinsky, executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon, told Time that the day is a good opportunity to reflect on the origins of the presidential office.