US denies discussing Navalny swap, refutes Putin's claims
- "We haven't heard from Russian representatives about raising the possibility of releasing Alexei Navalny as part of a prisoner swap," National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Monday.
Jake Sullivan refuted Vladimir Putin's claim that he had agreed to the release of the Russian opposition leader a few days before his death.
Russian lies regarding Navalny
"We have been talking with Russian officials for months and years about the release of American prisoners unjustly held in Russia. We haven't heard any Russian representative raising Navalny's case in any of the discussions. So, if this was something they were interested in, it certainly seems like they mentioned it quite late - obviously, too late, given he is already deceased," said Jake Sullivan.
In response to a claim made on Sunday by President Vladimir Putin, who asserted that a few days before the opposition leader's death, he had agreed to his release on the condition that he never return to Russia.
About the discussions on Navalny's release just before his death, Maria Piewczych, an associate of the oppositionist, mentioned in February that Navalny was to be exchanged for Vadim Krasikov, a Russian FSB operative convicted in Germany for the high-profile murder of a former Chechen and Georgian officer, Zelimkhan Khangoshvili.
An advisor to President Joe Biden also made comments regarding Vladimir Putin's re-election, noting that the election results in Russia were predetermined and neither free nor fair.
He stated that although the United States would continue "dealing with this reality" of Putin's next term as president, "it does not mean these elections met any standards of being free."
