Alexey Navalny's widow has urged the European Union to not recognize next month's Russian elections.
A transcript released Tuesday revealed Yulia Navalnaya's passionate plea to the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union as she blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for killing her husband.
"Putin killed my husband exactly a month before the so-called elections. These elections are fake, but Putin still needs them. For propaganda. He wants the whole world to believe that everyone in Russia supports and admires him. Don't believe this propaganda," she said Monday.
On Tuesday, Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said Navalnaya's allegations against Putin were "absolutely unfounded" and "boorish."
In her address, Navalnaya also asked the EU and the wider global community to rethink its strategies against Putin.
"He does not understand the language of diplomacy and does not recognize any rules of the game. So maybe we should stop playing by the rules?" she said.
"Instead of making statements, we must act. Let's not promise the impossible and let's not discuss something for years. Let's do it," she added.
Some background: The Kremlin leader is running for a fifth term as Russia’s president in next month’s election in which he's expected to secure a term that will keep him in office until 2030. He is now the longest-serving Russian ruler since Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.