Cancellation of Sergei Lavrov's Berlin Visit Not Due to Situation Surrounding Alexei Navalny, Peskov Says

The spokesman for the Russian President, Dmitry Peskov, stated that the cancellation of Sergei Lavrov's visit to Berlin is not related to the situation surrounding blogger Alexei Navalny.

“The German side has changed and shortened the format and duration of the meeting. For this reason, our Foreign Minister made the decision to cancel the visit. At this moment, I will not comment on our relations, as from our perspective, which we are confident of, there are no factors that could negatively impact our relations,” Peskov's words were reported by Gazeta.Ru.

At the same time, Peskov noted that Russia is ready for cooperation, which could clarify what actually happened with Navalny. “To bring clarity to this matter, and to have the biological samples of the patient, Russia needs the cooperation of the German side. For some reasons, we have not yet received a response from the German side. This situation raises many unclear questions,” Peskov remarked.