(Reuters) - Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Sunday there should be a thorough investigation into the death of prominent Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny before making any accusations.
His remarks were in sharp contrast to Western leaders' strong and swift criticisms of Russia over Navalny's death in an Arctic penal colony on Friday. U.S. President Joe Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin and "his thugs" were responsible.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected such accusations as unacceptable.
Speaking at a press conference after attending an African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Lula said refraining from taking a stance on the death at this moment was a matter of "common sense."
"A citizen died in prison, I don't know if he was ill or had any issues," Lula said. "To make an accusation is to trivialize. I hope that a coroner will provide an explanation for why the individual died, that's all."
Lula's comments reflected how non-Western nations have not joined the West in its efforts to deeply isolate Russian Putin over the invasion of Ukraine and other issues.
Lula has repeatedly called for peace in Ukraine and says that Russia should not have invaded. But he says that the United States has needlessly prolonged the war.
Navalny's mother was told on Saturday her son had been struck down by "sudden death syndrome" and that his body would not be handed over to the family until an investigation was completed, his team said.
During the press conference, Lula advocated for the Global South to assert its due place in the economy, politics, and culture, highlighting the importance of the BRICS bloc for this purpose.
The group, consisting of Brazil, Russia, China, India, and South Africa, officially expanded in January with the inclusion of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.