Donald Trump Praises The Late Navalny As Happy But Shouldn't Return To Russia

Alexei Navalny. (Wikimedia Commons/Micha Total Siergiejevicz)

Former US President Donald Trump said the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was a very brave figure, but considered he should not return to his country, but at the same time he did not blame anyone for his sudden death.

"Navalny is in a very sad situation, and she is a very brave person, she is a very brave person because she is back. She could have walked away," Trump said during an interview with Fox News.

"And to be honest, he might be better away and talk from abroad than have to go back to his country, because people thought it could happen and it did. And it was a terrible thing."

Democratic Party president Joe Biden and other Western leaders blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for Navalny's death, as did Nikki Haley, who trailed far behind Trump as her only remaining rival to a Republican presidential nomination.

The Kremlin has denied involvement in Navalny's death, saying Western claims that President Vladimir Putin is responsible for being unacceptable.

President Putin has so far not made public comments about Navalny's death. Navalny's death deepened the gap in relations between Moscow and the West caused by the Ukraine war for nearly two years.

Trump, who has expressed his admiration for Putin during his tenure at the White House in 2017-2021 and after that, continues to compare himself with Navalny, implying that both of them have faced political motif demands.

"But this is also happening in our country," Trump said.

"We turned into a communist country in many ways. And if you look at it, I am the main candidate. I will be charged," he said.

On Sunday, Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social that Navalny's death in the Arctic penal colony last week had made him "more aware of what happened" in the United States. Trump did not explain further, but he has rejected 91 criminal charges against him for political motifs, a claim the prosecutor denies.

Meanwhile, President Biden on Tuesday issued scathing criticism of Truth Social Trump's post about Navalny's death, saying, "Why does Trump always blame America? Putin is responsible for Navalny's death. Why can't Trump just say that?"

Previously, Navalny's mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, wrote to President Vladimir Putin, asking for his son's body to be returned to be buried. Speaking in a video recorded in front of the prison, the mother revealed that she did not know where her son's body was, asking President Putin to give an order to repatriate him.

Navalny's allies quoted Russian investigators as saying the authorities needed at least 14 days to carry out various chemical tests on their bodies, therefore they could not deliver their bodies.

Yulia Navalnaya, wife of Russia's late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, said on Monday she would continue her husband's struggle for Russian freedom, asking her supporters to fight President Vladimir Putin with greater anger than ever before.

"I want to live in a free Russia, I want to build a free Russia," said Yulia.

"I encourage you to stand beside me," he said.

"I ask you to share anger with me. Anger, anger, hatred against those who dare to kill our future," he exclaimed.

The Russian correctional agency on Friday announced Navalny died at the age of 47 in prison where he served his sentence. They stated Navalny lost consciousness after a walk in the Arctic Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, where the prison is located.

Yulia accused Russian authorities of hiding Navalny's body and waiting for traces of Novichok's neurotoxicity to disappear from his body.