Former U.S president, Donald Trump has made his first public comment on the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a social media post.

Trump, who drew criticism as U.S. president for his praise of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, wrote;

“The sudden death of Alexei Navalny has made me more and more aware of what is happening in our Country,” Trump wrote, appearing to link the death to his own political issues.

“It is a slow, steady progression, with CROOKED, Radical Left Politicians, Prosecutors, and Judges leading us down a path to destruction. Open Borders, Rigged Elections, and Grossly Unfair Courtroom Decisions are DESTROYING AMERICA. WE ARE A NATION IN DECLINE, A FAILING NATION! MAGA2024”

Navalny, 47, fought for years against what he called vast corruption in Putin’s Russia, ruled by “crooks and thieves.” He was Russia’s most prominent opposition leader and was detested by Russian president Vladimir Putin.

The Kremlin has denied involvement in his death and said that Western claims that Putin was responsible were unacceptable.

Since Navalny’s death was reported on Friday, former U.S. presidents and top members of Congress from both parties also denounced Putin.

But Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination to challenge Biden in the November election, had remained silent until Monday.

President Joe Biden on Friday directly blamed Putin for Navalny’s death in a the penal colony north of the Arctic Circle, as did Trump’s main Republican rival, Nikki Haley. “Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death,” Biden said.

During his 2017-2021 White House tenure, Trump expressed admiration for Putin. In 2018, he refused to blame the Russian leader for meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, casting doubt on the findings of his own intelligence agencies and sparking criticism at home.

Last week, Trump went suggested that the United States might not protect NATO allies who aren’t spending enough on defense, from a potential Russian invasion.