The G7 foreign ministers have called on Russia to quickly find and bring to justice those responsible for the poisoning of opposition Alexei Navalny.
Ministers said Germany, where Navalny was currently receiving treatment, had informed them that Navalny had been poisoned.
“We, the G7 foreign ministers, call on Russia to urgently and fully ensure transparency on who is responsible for this lowly poisoning attempt and, bearing in mind Russia’s obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention, to bring those responsible to justice,” the ministerial statement said.
“We will continue to monitor closely Russia’s response to international calls for clarification on Mr Navalny’s poisoning poisoning,” ministers said.
“We are firmly committed to supporting democracy, the rule of law and human rights in Russia and to strengthening our support for Russian civil society,” the United States said in a statement.
US President Donald Trump, who has tried to maintain good relations with Russia, said on Friday he had seen no evidence of allegations that Navalny had been poisoned.
Russia has denied any involvement in the poisoning of Navalny.
The G7 consists of the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Italy and Japan.
Russia was expelled from the elite club of states, then known as the G8, in 2014 after the annexation of Crimea by Ukraine.
On August 20, Navalni was unconsciously taken to Omsk Hospital in Siberia with signs of poisoning, but two days later he was transferred from Russia to Germany, where he was treated at the Charite clinic at the University of Berlin.
As the German government said on September 2, there is indisputable evidence that Navalny has been poisoned by a nerve-paralyzing warfare substance belonging to the Novichok group.
On Monday, Navalny was awakened from a medical coma and he responds to verbal stimuli.
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