‘Regardless of the scientific answer, Putin’s responsible for it,’ National Security Council spokesman John Kirby says of opposition leader’s death

The White House has announced that a new package of sanctions against Russia is set to go into effect following the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a Siberian prison camp.

The administration said the package would be released on Friday. This comes after President Joe Biden’s comments to reporters on Monday that he was considering new sanctions.

“We already have sanctions, but we are considering additional sanctions, yes,” he said.

On Friday, Mr Biden blamed the death of Mr Navalny on Russian President Vladimir Putin, noting that while the US was unsure what took place, it was “a consequence of something that Putin and his thugs did”.