Peskov: Putin did not confirm the fact of negotiations on the exchange of Navalny

Vladimir Putin did not confirm that negotiations on the exchange of Alexei Navalny were held. This was stated by his press secretary Dmitry Peskov.

“He said that an idea was put forward by one of the people about exchanging Navalny, which he potentially agreed to and immediately told the person who put forward such an idea about it,” Peskov said.

He also spoke about Alexei Navalny’s widow, Yulia: “There are many people who are cut off from their homeland and do not feel its pulse, and Navalny’s widow is one of them.”

Earlier, Vladimir Putin, speaking at a press conference following the results of the past presidential elections, publicly called Alexei Navalny by name for the first time. He commented on the death of the oppositionist in the colony and stated that he agreed to the exchange provided that Navalny did not return to Russia.

“A few days before Mr. Navalny passed away, some colleagues, not members of the administration, some people told me that there was an idea to exchange Mr. Navalny for some people who are in prison in Western countries. You may believe me, you may not... The person who spoke to me had not yet finished his sentence, but I said - I agree. But, unfortunately, what happened happened,” Putin said, adding that he put forward only one condition - “that we change him and that he does not return - let him sit there.”

Alexei Navalny died on February 16 in the Polar Wolf colony in the village of Kharp above the Arctic Circle. According to official data, his death was due to natural causes, but Navalny's relatives and associates accused Putin of his murder.

Shortly after Navalny's death, reports appeared in the Western and Russian press that the Kremlin was negotiating with the West to exchange Navalny for FSB officer Vadim Krasikov, convicted in Germany for murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. According to media reports, the last time Putin discussed Navalny's exchange was on the day of his death.

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