ABC News Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott pressed Putin directly on the fate of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexey Navlany.
“The list of your political opponents who are dead, imprisoned, or jailed is long. Alexey Navalny’s organization calls for free and fair elections, an end to corruption. But Russia has outlawed that organization, calling it extremist. And you have now prevented anyone who supports him to run for office,” Scott said. “So my question is, Mr. President, what are you so afraid of?”
Putin responded by bringing up the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and finished by saying, “And fears, I don’t want to talk about that. That’s absolutely irrelevant.”
“You didn’t answer my question, sir,” Scott said. “If all of your political opponents are dead, in prison or poisoned, doesn’t that send a message that you do not want a fair political fight?”
Putin again raised the U.S. insurrection, noting that 400 people were arrested.
“As for who is killing whom and throwing whom in jail, people came to the U.S. Congress with political demands,” Putin said. “They face prison sentences of up to 20, maybe even 25 years.”
“They are being called ‘domestic terrorists.’ They are being accused of a number of other crimes,” he added, deflecting from Navalny whom he refuses to call by name.
Source: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/live-updates/biden-putin-summit-live-updates/?id=78286684
