The head of EU foreign affairs Josep Borrell will propose renaming the EU’s human rights sanctions regime after Alexei Navalny, the Russian dissident who died in detention last week.
Borrell highlighted that this move aims to honour Putin's most well-known domestic opponent, whose death in a Siberian penal colony was announced on Friday.
Navalny’s wife, Yulia, is expected at the EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels today. The ministers are also anticipated to suggest penalties for those held responsible for Navalny’s death, despite Borrell suggesting that "the real person responsible is Putin himself".
"We will send a political message supporting political opposition in Russia against Putin’s regime," Borrell said, before referring to the weekend protests in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, which led to numerous arrests and repressions.
EU discussions on Monday also extend to military support for Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, and endorsing the launch of a military escort mission for commercial navigation in the Red Sea amidst attacks by Houthi rebels, which set off today.
