MOSCOW, Sept 3 — The Kremlin said yesterday that Russia was ready to cooperate fully with Germany over the case of opposition leader Alexei Navalny after Berlin confirmed he was poisoned with a nerve agent.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists: "In general we confirm that we are ready and have an interest in full cooperation and exchange of data on this topic with Germany,” quoted by RIA Novosti state news agency.

Peskov complained that Russia had not received an answer to its request for German doctors to share their findings.

He insisted that before Navalny was evacuated to Berlin on August 22, Russia had not found traces of poisoning, reflecting earlier statements by doctors.

"Before the sick man was taken to Berlin, a whole set of tests were carried out in our country in accordance with all international standards, no poisonous substances were detected,” he said, not using Navalny's name as is Kremlin practice.

A Russian foreign ministry spokesperson slammed Germany for not providing Russia with evidence for its statements in comments to AFP.

"We are urging our partners to offer full cooperation and exchange of information,” the spokesperson said, criticising "loud public announcements without any presenting any facts at all.”

The spokesperson suggested that Germany's aim was to "justify some retaliatory measures that have already been prepared.”

Russia is still awaiting an answer from Germany to an official request sent by the Prosecutor-General's Office asking German doctors to share medical data on Navalny with Russian counterparts, the ministry spokesperson said.

Russia has launched an initial police check into the circumstances of Navalny's illness but has not opened a criminal probe.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday that there were no grounds to launch an investigation yet.

"An investigation can start when it is established what happened,” he said. — AFP