Putin denies involvement in poisoning of Navalny

MOSCOW » Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday rejected allegations that the Kremlin was behind the poisoning of his top political foe, opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and accused U.S. intelligence agencies of fomenting the claims even as he held out hope for better ties with Washington.

Putin also voiced hope that the administration of President- elect Joe Biden would move to extend the last remaining U.S.-Russian arms control pact that is set to expire in early February.

The Russian leader countered the accusations by saying that if the Kremlin wanted to poison Navalny, it would have succeeded.