Kremlin says does not want Navalny illness to damage ties with West

The Kremlin said on Wednesday it hoped opposition politician Alexei Navalny’s illness would not damage Russia’s ties with the West and that it was keen to find out why he fell ill despite declining to open an investigation over the incident.

Germany, the United States and other countries have called on Russia to investigate the circumstances that led to Navalny’s illness but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters the diagnosis so far is inconclusive.

Replying to a question on the possible worsening of relations between Moscow and the West, Peskov said: “Of course we would not like this (to happen), that’s the first thing.”