Russia must help investigate what happened to Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny who is being treated in a Berlin hospital for suspected poisoning, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Thursday before talks with EU counterparts on what to do next.
"We expect Russia to join efforts to clear up what happened but at the moment that doesn't seem to be the case," Maas told ZDF television.
"We, EU foreign ministers, will discuss this today because it would be easiest for Moscow to join the investigation, otherwise the question remains open and then the EU will have to discuss how to proceed," he added.
France's foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said he was bemused by Russia not taking a transparent approach over the possible poisoning of opponent Alexei Navalny, and added European Union foreign ministers would discuss the matter this week.
Navalny is in a medically induced coma in a Berlin hospital where he was airlifted on Saturday after collapsing during a flight. The German clinic said its initial medical examination pointed to poisoning, though Russian doctors who had treated Navalny in a Siberian hospital have contradicted that diagnosis.
