NAVALNY IN COURT AS EU CONSIDERS SANCTIONS

Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on Friday appeared in court on slander charges he denounced as politically motivated amid mounting tensions between russia and the West over his treatment.

Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s most prominent critic, was jailed last week for almost three years for parole violations. The West has condemned the case and is discussing possible sanctions on russia.

russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier on Friday that Moscow was ready to sever ties with the european union if the bloc hit it with sanctions.

Navalny is accused of defaming a World War Two veteran who took part in a promotional video backing constitutional reforms last year that let Putin run for two more terms.