Russian President Vladimir Putin, who won the Presidential elections on Sunday, said that he was ready for prisoner exchange of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny with people jailed in Western countries, while interacting with reporters in Moscow.
Putin’s statement was made after a question from a journalist from NBC News about democratic principles under the state of Navalny’s disease and other political scandals.
Putin, who rarely speaks Navalny’s name, said in response that “several days before Mr Navalny perished, I was told by some of my colleagues … that there is an idea to exchange Mr. Navalny for some people in prison in Western countries.”
“Believe me or not, the person talking to me hardly finished their sentence when I said: ‘I agree.’ But unfortunately, the thing that happened happened,” Putin added, speaking as he declared victory in the country’s elections.
According to Navalny’s supporters, the only thing that prevented Navalny’s release along with two American prisoners was the fact that he was poisoned. Putin may have agreed with his proposal, but he has set an additional condition of banning Navalny permanently from coming back to Russia.
Navalny’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, now in Berlin, refused visiting her deceased husband in Russia, instead staying outside the country. Navalny, who is a famous anti-graft activist, was subjected to prosecution and jail before the unfortunate death and a lot of people associate his death with the Kremlin.
After Navalny’s killing, Biden levied about 500 sanctions against Russia, calling out Putin government for the aggression and the repression from within. The sanctions are designed to attack individuals linked to Navalny’s prosecution and Russia’s military operations in Ukraine, hence, putting more pressure on Putin’s administration.
