Biden blames Putin for Navalny’s death as Republican ‘apologists’ condemned

Bipartisan reaction follows death of Russian opposition leader as GOP politicians react to silence of some members of party

• Alexei Navalny death: live updates

Joe Biden put the blame for the reported death of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Friday squarely on Vladimir Putin, as many US politicians condemned Putin but also reacted angrily to the silence of some Republican lawmakers.

“Make no mistake: Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death,” the US president said from the White House.