Russian President Vladimir Putin, who won the presidential election on Sunday, said he was ready for the prisoner swap of late opposition leader Alexei Navalny with people imprisoned in Western countries, while interacting with journalists in Moscow.
Putin's statement came after a question from an NBC News journalist about democratic principles under Navalny's illness and other political scandals.
Putin, who rarely utters Navalny's name, said in response that “several days before Mr. Navalny died, some of my colleagues told me… that there is an idea to exchange Mr. Navalny for some people imprisoned in countries Westerners”. “
“Believe me or not, the person who was speaking to me barely finished his sentence when I said, 'I agree.' But, unfortunately, what happened happened,” Putin added, speaking while proclaiming victory in the country's elections.
According to Navalny's supporters, the only thing that prevented his release along with two American prisoners was the fact that he was poisoned. Putin may have agreed to his proposal, but he has set an additional condition of permanently banning Navalny from returning to Russia.
Navalny's wife, Yulia Navalnaya, now in Berlin, refused to visit her late husband in Russia and stayed out of the country. Navalny, who is a famous anti-corruption activist, was prosecuted and imprisoned before his unfortunate death and many people associate his death with the Kremlin.
After Navalny's assassination, Biden imposed around 500 sanctions against Russia, denouncing Putin's government for aggression and repression from within. The sanctions are designed to target people linked to Navalny's prosecution and Russia's military operations in Ukraine, thus putting more pressure on Putin's administration.
