Navalny, Putin’s critic, says the German chancellor visited him in hospital after drinking poison

Leader of the Opposition in Russia Alexei Navalny The German chancellor confirmed the reports on Monday Angela Merkel He was visited at a hospital in Berlin, where German authorities are treating him for confirming that the neurotic agent was poison.

“A meeting took place, but it should not be called a secret,” Navalny said in a tweet, citing media reports, alleging that Merkel had secretly visited Charity Hospital for 32 days.

“Instead, (it is) a private visit and conversation with family. I am very grateful to Chancellor Merkel for visiting me in the hospital, ”the politician wrote.

On Sunday evening, the German newspaper Der Spiegel reported that Merkel had secretly visited Navalny while she was in the Charite hospital in Berlin. It did not say when the visit took place, but Navalny was discharged from the hospital last week.

Merkel spokeswoman Stephen Seibert confirmed to reporters Monday that the meeting had taken place, but disputed that it was a “secret”.

“This is a personal meeting between the Chancellor and Mr. Navalny,” he said. “This is a meeting with a man who fell ill after being attacked by a neurological agent and is being treated in Germany.”

The meeting took place last week, but declined to say when or if another was planned. He reiterated that the presence of a neuroprotective agent in the Navalny system was “beyond doubt” determined by laboratories in Germany, France and Sweden.

Navalny spent 32 days in the hospital, 24 of whom were in intensive care, before doctors thought his condition had improved enough to be discharged. He is currently in Germany to continue his rehabilitation, his team said.

Navalny, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s politician and corruption investigator, flew to Germany on August 20, two days after falling ill on a domestic flight.

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He spent those two days in a coma at a hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk, where Russian doctors said they found no trace of any poison. German chemical weapons experts have confirmed that they were certified by laboratories in France and Sweden with Soviet-era agent Novichok.

Britain says the same kind of poison used in the attack was used in 2018 in Salisbury, England, on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter. Merkel called the poisoning an assassination attempt and she and other world leaders demanded that Russia fully investigate the case.

Navalny’s allies have accused the Kremlin of involvement in the poisoning, which Russian officials have denied.

Russia’s investigators have demanded that Germany share medical data in the case or that the notes be compared with Russian doctors. Germany recognizes that Russian doctors have had their own samples since Navalny was in their care for 48 hours.

Germany joins Hogg-based company for technical assistance to ban chemical weapons. The agency collected independent samples from Navalny for testing, but the results have not yet been announced.

A Russian delegation to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons sent a note to Germany last week asking for “comprehensive information on the so-called” novelty case “within 10 days, including” test results, biological materials and other clinical samples. ” Days. Germany confirmed the receipt of the note, but reiterated that “Russia already has everything it can investigate.”

When asked about Russia’s request for diplomats to speak with Navalny, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Adebauer said Monday that Germany had processed the request “according to normal procedures.” “Mr. Navalny is free to receive a consular visit if desired,” she said.

His close aide and top strategist Leonid Volkov said Sunday that Navalny was recovering faster than expected from the suspected assassination attempt. “He’s doing very well, I’m unexpectedly good,” Navalny’s chief of staff Leonid Volkov told German broadcaster RTL. “I think the recovery is really faster than expected, and this is good news that makes us very happy.”