Alexei Navalny: Putin ‘promises’ investigation, Italian PM says

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte told an Italian newspaper Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had promised to set up an inquiry into the recent poisoning of his critic Alexei Navalny.

“President Putin has assured me that Russia intends to clear up what has happened, and told me that he would set up a committee of inquiry and was ready to collaborate with the German authorities,” Conte told Il Foglio.

Navalny is currently recovering in a Berlin hospital from poisoning by a Novichok nerve agent. He wastaken out of a medically-induced coma earlier in the week.

Russian authorities have demanded that Berlin hand over evidence of the alleged Novichok poisoning, with which they deny any involvement.

The UN and NATO have urged Russia to launch or cooperate in an inquiry.

Read more: Russia hits out at ‘hysteria’ over Navalny poisoning

Charité hospital in Berlin

Police protection stepped up

The police protection outside the Charite hospital where Navalny is recovering has been stepped up, German magazine Der Spiegel reported on Thursday.

The magazine also reported that Navalny “can speak again and can likely remember details of his collapse,” but Navalny’s spokeswoman described reports of his quick recuperation as “exaggerated.”

“In connection with the latest information about Alexei — we reported on Monday that he ahd regained consciousness and was reacting to others, but basically the article is very exaggerated and contains many factual errors,” Kira Yarmysh wrote on Twitter.

Berlin police did not immediately comment on whether police protection had been increased for the Kremlin critic.

ed/rt (dpa, Reuters, TASS)

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/alexei-navalny-putin-promises-investigation-italian-pm-says/a-54875959?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf