French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné announced on Monday that he had summoned Alexei Mechkov, the Russian ambassador to France, following the death of his opponent Alexei Navalny in prison.
“Today at 6:30 p.m. I requested the summons of the Russian ambassador,” he announced during a trip to Argentina, believing that “Vladimir Putin's regime has once again shown its true nature.”
Gatherings across Europe
Earlier in the day, the Dutch foreign minister announced that she had also summoned the Russian ambassador to the Netherlands, following in the footsteps of Germany, Spain and Sweden, which had made similar decisions.
London, for its part, summoned diplomats from the Russian embassy on Friday evening. “It is terrible that Alexei Navalny paid the ultimate price for his fight for a free and democratic Russia,” Hanke told Bruins Slot.
“This afternoon I called the Russian ambassador to the ministry to ask him for clarification about his death,” continued Hanke Bruins Slot. “We urge Russia to hand over Navalny’s body to his family and loved ones,” she added.