Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley has voiced criticism against Donald Trump for his lack of substantial comments regarding the death of Alexei Navalny, a political opponent of Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Haley's remarks come just ahead of South Carolina's Republican presidential preference primary, where she is trailing Trump by over 30 percentage points in polls.

Haley, who blamed Putin for Navalny's death at a Russian penal colony, highlighted the importance of standing with the Russian people who considered Navalny their voice against corruption and Putin's regime. She emphasized that the incident should serve as a reminder to Americans that Putin is not an ally the country can trust or be associated with.

Referring to Trump's previous favorable stance towards Putin during his presidency, Haley labeled his Nato comments about encouraging Russia to attack insufficient contributors as "bone chilling". She pointed out that by aligning himself with Putin, Trump was indirectly endorsing the oppression of political opponents and journalists like Navalny and Evan Gershkovich.

Haley concluded by stressing the necessity for the US to acknowledge the significance of the situation, especially amidst the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Trump faces legal challenges with over 90 criminal charges and civil judgments exceeding half a billion dollars, yet maintains a slight lead in current polls against Democratic president Joe Biden.