By Keir Simmons -
NBC News
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sunday that he agreed with the idea of a prisoner exchange involving opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in prison, "and some people in prison in Western countries."
"A few days before Mr. Navalny died, some colleagues told me... that there was an idea that some people in prison were exchanged for some people in prison in Western countries," said Putin, who rarely pronounces Navalny's name, when answering a question. NBC News question.
"You may believe me, you may not. The person who spoke to me had not finished the sentence yet, when I said: 'Okay'. But unfortunately, what happened is what happened," added Putin, who was speaking after appear celebrating his victory in the elections in the country.
Navalny's supporters have alleged that Putin had him killed to thwart an imminent exchange that would have freed him and two Americans.
Five sources told NBC News that such an agreement was being negotiated but was not imminent when Navalny died on February 16 at the age of 47.
His death has been widely attributed to the Kremlin.
[Alexei Navalny, the Russian opponent imprisoned by Putin in the Arctic, dies in prison]
Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny's widow, in a protest in front of the Russian Embassy in Berlin on March 17. Ebrahim Noroozi / AP
Putin also pointed out that the agreement would have had one condition: that Navalny never return to Russia.
Later, Dmitry Peskov, Putin's press secretary, said that Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya (who is in Berlin), was offered the opportunity to travel to Russia and see her husband, but that she chose to stay. abroad.