Navalny is said to have been poisoned with the nerve poison novichok once developed in the Soviet Union. He passed out in a plane over Siberia in mid-August, but later recovered in a hospital in Berlin. The Kremlin maintains that there is no convincing evidence that Navalny has been poisoned with novichok and contradicts any involvement. Germany and France believe that Russia does not provide enough transparency.
The issue is likely to be discussed at the next European summit of government leaders on October 15-16. Minister Maas did not seem enthusiastic about the idea of including the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project in the sanctions. According to Maas, more than a hundred European companies are involved and that would mean that many people would be affected by the halting of construction.
The pipeline is to bring Russian natural gas to Western Europe. The construction is in the hands of, among others, the German companies Uniper and BASF, the French firm Engie and Shell.
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