The national security adviser says the White House is studying options if Navalny dies in Russian custody

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“We have informed the Russian government that what happens to Mr. Navalny in his custody is his responsibility and that the international community will hold them accountable,” Sullivan told CNN’s Dana Bash about “State of the Union.” “As for the specific measures we would take, we are seeing a variety of different costs that we would impose and I will not do so publicly by telegraph.”

“But we have communicated that there will be consequences if Mr Navalny dies,” he added.

Navalny supporters have said the health of the 44-year-old Kremlin critic is deteriorating rapidly, and his press secretary said he is “dying” and his doctors said medical tests show who has an increasing risk of kidney failure and heart problems. Doctors wrote a letter to Russian prison services (FSIN) on Saturday asking for access. CNN cannot independently verify Navalny’s health.

Navalny said Friday in a post on his official Instagram account that he is threatening with forced food while a hunger strike continues. She had returned to Russia in January after being hospitalized in Germany, where she was recovering from a nerve agent poisoning that was blamed on the Kremlin.

Navalny's life is a responsibility
On Saturday, President Joe Biden said Navalny’s situation was “totally unfair and totally inappropriate,” but declined to delve into it. He did not raise Navalny during statements about Russia’s sanctions this week and the issue was not a topic of debate in a phone call Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to readings of the White House and Kremlin talks.

Asked by Bash why Biden had not used his platform to demand Navalny’s release this week, Sullivan said the White House had determined that private communications were more effective.

“Actually, we have ruled that direct communication to the Russian government on this issue, including how we see it, how our allies and partners see it and what could develop if something terrible happened to Mr Navalny … and we have judged that, instead of making general statements publicly, the best way to deal with this issue is privately and through diplomatic channels directly at the highest levels of the Russian government, ”Sullivan said.

In his phone call with Putin, Biden proposed holding a summit in the coming months in a third-country country. The White House later specified that the potential summit would take place in Europe if it materialized.

Sullivan refused on Sunday to say whether Biden would continue to agree to meet with Putin in the event that Navalny dies in prison.

“There’s currently no summit on books,” he said. “It’s something we’re talking about. And this summit should take place, of course, under the right circumstances in a way that could move the relationship forward.”

“But I’m not going to get into hypothetical about when or if the summit will likely take place,” Sullivan said.

CNN’s Anna Chernova and Zahra Ullah contributed to this report.

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