Volkov issued such an invitation to the European Parliament (EP), where he joined Dalia, the daughter of Navalny, who received a prestigious award in place of her father.
“The policy of appeasement has been tried many times and has been fruitless. Let’s try something else,” Volkov told reporters about the Western reaction to the concentration of Russian forces on Ukraine’s borders, which raised concerns about a possible attack.
The United States and European countries have threatened Russia with severe economic consequences if it attacked Ukraine, but have also tried to talk to Putin to ward off the crisis.
According to Volkov, concentrating Russian forces on Ukraine’s borders is pure blackmail: “If you don’t talk to me, if President Biden doesn’t call me, I’ll start a new bloodshed in Europe.”
“Sanction against them, blackmail and then lift them when they withdraw their troops,” Volkov called.
Navalniy has been in prison since January, when he returned to Moscow from Germany, where he recovered from poisoning by the nerve-paralyzing substance Novichok, for which he blames the Kremlin.
Russia has since declared the network of Navalny’s organizations and political offices extremist, and many of Navalny’s allies have left Russia. Authorities have also launched a number of new investigations into Naval, including extremism, which could lead to another ten years in prison.
Volkov, who does not currently live in Russia, called Navalny a Putin personal prisoner and said it was up to Putin alone when he was released.
“What could affect such a situation? As we have suggested, get Putin’s money, take his money hostage. This will give Europe (..) a much better leverage,” Volkov said.
