Chancellor Angela Merkel said tests showed “unequivocally” that Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny was poisoned by a military-grade novichok nerve agent, dramatically escalating tensions with the Kremlin and sending the ruble tumbling. Germany will consult with European Union and NATO allies to formulate an appropriate response over the incident, Merkel said, adding that the world was waiting for answers from the Russian government about what happened. “It’s clear that Alexey Navalny is the victim of a crime. The intent was to silence him,” Merkel told reporters on Wednesday in Berlin. “It poses questions that only the Russian government can answer and must answer.” The findings by a special German armed forces laboratory ratchet up a standoff between EU nations led by Germany and President Vladimir Putin. Merkel already raised the prospect of a coordinated response on Friday. Navalny has been receiving treatment at Berlin’s Charite hospital, where he has been in an induced coma since being flown to the German capital on Aug. 22. Alexander Dobrindt, the deputy caucus leader and a member of the Bavarian branch of Merkel’s bloc, demanded new EU sanctions against Russia after the latest revelations. There will have to be a “common European response to this deed,” the lawmaker said at a press briefing Wednesday, as well as “uncomfortable and serious” discussions between the Russian and German governments. U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab offered to work closely with Germany and other allies to “demonstrate that there are consequences for using banned chemical weapons anywhere in the world.” He added that “the Russian government has a clear case to answer.” The U.S. echoed those sentiments and indicated it was ready to target the finances of those involved. “We will work with allies and the international community to hold those in Russia accountable, wherever the evidence leads, and restrict funds for their malign activities,” said John Ullyot, spokesman for the National Security Council. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2TwO8Gm QUICKTAKE ON SOCIAL: Follow QuickTake on Twitter: twitter.com/quicktake Like QuickTake on Facebook: facebook.com/quicktake Follow QuickTake on Instagram: instagram.com/quicktake Subscribe to our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2FJ0oQZ Email us at [email protected] QuickTake by Bloomberg is a global news network delivering up-to-the-minute analysis on the biggest news, trends and ideas for a new generation of leaders.