The United Kingdom foreign secretary, David Cameron has confronted his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, that President Vladimir Putin murdered Alexei Navalny.

Cameron confronted the Russian foreign minister at a meeting of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday.

Vanguard reported that Putin’s most prominent critic, Navalny was announced dead in the Arctic prison where he was serving a decades-long prison sentence last week.

Navalny’s death has caught the attention of world leaders, especially from the West as many accused Putin of being the culprit.

According to the Independent, Cameron used his speech in the room to hold Putin responsible for Navalny’s death, but Lavrov was looking at his phone. 

The UK also froze the assets of six Russian prison bosses in charge of the “Polar Wolf” prison colony, becoming the first country to issue sanctions over the killing of Navalny – saying that those responsible for his “brutal treatment” will be held to account.

Speaking to the BBC, Lord Cameron said that representatives for France, Canada and Germany joined him in using speeches to name Navalny and say they held Putin and the Russian state at large responsible for his murder. 

The meeting occurred behind closed doors, with each nation present getting five minutes to speak, usually in alphabetical order.

Days earlier, Mr Navalny’s wife, Yulia, accused Putin of killing her husband, who was moved to the remote Arctic prison late last year and has faced multiple sentences on charges the international community.