Russia is responsible: US Vice President Harris on Alexei Navalny's death

United States Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday blamed Russia as reports came of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's death in a Russian prison, CNN reported.

"Before I begin today, we've all just received reports that Aleksey Navalny has died in Russia. This is, of course, terrible news, which we are working to confirm. My prayers are with his family, including his wife, Yulia, who is with us today," she said.

"And if confirmed, this would be a further sign of Putin's brutality. Whatever story they tell, let us be clear: Russia is responsible," she added while speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has died in prison, Al Jazeera reported on Friday, citing state media.

The death of the jailed Russian opposition leader, 47, has been reported by state media which further cited the prison service of the Yamalo-Nenets region where he had been serving his sentence. Al Jazeera cited a statement put out by state media quoting the prison service of the Yamalo-Nenets region which said that Navalny "felt bad" after a walk and lost consciousness "almost immediately."

Describing the ongoing role of the US in Israel Hamas war, Harris said, "In the Middle East, we are working to end the conflict that Hamas triggered on October 7th as soon as possible and ensure it ends in a way where Israel is secure, hostages are released, the humanitarian crisis is resolved, Hamas does not control Gaza, and Palestinians can enjoy their right to security, dignity, freedom, and self-determination."

"This work, while we also work to counter aggression from Iran and its proxies, prevent regional escalation, and promote regional integration," she added.

During her speech, Harris launched a veiled attack against Trump, describing his foreign policy approach as "dangerous" and issuing a stark warning if the US cedes ground to Russia.

"They suggest it's in the best interest of the American people to isolate ourselves from the world, to flout common understandings among nations, to embrace dictators, and adopt the repressive tactics and abandon commitments to our allies in favor of unilateral action," Harris said.

"Let me be clear - that worldview is dangerous, destabilizing and indeed shortsighted," she said.

Trump had drawn immediate consternation last weekend for saying he would encourage Russia to invade countries that don't meet their NATO obligations. The comment concerned not only the American foreign policy establishment but from American NATO allies, who have watched warily as Russia proceeds with its invasion of Ukraine. The former president on Wednesday said he wouldn't defend NATO nations who don't spend enough on defense but did not repeat his comment about encouraging Russia to do whatever they want

"I've been saying look, if they're not going to pay, we're not going to protect, OK. And Biden said, 'Oh this is so bad, this is so terrible that he would say that.' No, if they're not paying their bills, and most of them weren't when I got there," Trump said at a campaign event in North Charleston, South Carolina.

The 60th Munich Security Conference (MSC) got underway an in-person event from February 16-18, 2024, at its traditional venue, the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich, according to an official statement.

This year's conference is being held under the chairmanship of the German Ambassador to the US, Christoph Heusgen.