President Donald Trump on Friday declined to condemn Russia over the poisoning of opposition leader Alexey Navalny, even though leaders from around the world, as well as other Trump administration officials, have pinned the blame on the country.At a press briefing on Friday, Trump was asked what his message to Russia was about Navalny’s poisoning, after the German government said a chemical agent known to be utilized by the Kremlin was used against Navalny.”We have to look at it very seriously. If that’s the case, and I think we will,” Trump said when asked how the US should react.”I don’t know exactly what happened, I think it’s tragic. It’s terrible, it shouldn’t happen. We haven’t had any proof yet, but I will take a look,” he added.It’s the latest example of Trump declining to condemn Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, for authoritarian actions. In the case of the Navalny poisoning, leaders around the world, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, offered strong condemnation and called for answers from the Russian government.In addition to German officials, a NATO in-house lab test proved “beyond doubt” that the opposition leader was poisoned with the military-grade nerve agent Novichok in what the NATO chief described Friday as an “assassination attempt.””It is interesting that everybody is always mentioning Russia,” Trump said to a reporter when asked about the Navalny poisoning, “and I don’t mind you mentioning Russia, but I think probably China at this point is a nation that you should be talking about much more so than Russia, because the things that China is doing are far worse, if you take a look at what’s happening with the world.”At one point during Friday’s press briefing, Trump said he would “not be happy at all” if the Russian government poisoned Navalny, and defended his administration’s stance toward Moscow, specifically citing the decision to provide anti-tank weapons to Ukraine to fight off Putin-backed separatists.But he also noted, “I do get along with President Putin.”Trump’s public reluctance to condemn Putin is especially notable as other members of his administration have been more forceful on the Navalny incident.
“The United States is deeply troubled by the results released today. Alexei Navalny’s poisoning is completely reprehensible. Russia has used the chemical nerve agent Novichok in the past,” National Security Council spokesperson John Ullyot said this week. “We will work with allies and the international community to hold those in Russia accountable, wherever the evidence leads, and restrict funds for their malign activities.”Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun met with the Russian Ambassador to the US Friday and expressed “grave concern” at the poisoning with a chemical nerve agent, the State Department said in a readout of the meeting.And on Thursday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany called the poisoning “clearly reprehensible.”