U.S. was working on deal to free Navalny before his death: White House

The U.S. had been working on a deal that would have freed Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny before his death, the White House said Thursday, hours after a swap deal between Washington and Moscow.

"So, we had been working with our partners on a deal that would have included Alexei Navalny, and unfortunately he died," National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said at a news conference.

His remarks came in response to a question about whether Navalny was supposed to be a part of the deal before he died in prison.

Navalny, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was detained and arrested at an airport in Moscow in January 2021 when he returned to the capital after receiving treatment in Berlin for alleged poisoning.

Last August, a Russian court sentenced Navalny to 19 years in prison for establishing an extremist group while in prison.

Officials said he was in jail for extremist activities, but most governments refuted the charge and said it was his criticism of Putin that landed him behind bars.

Navalny died in February after being convicted on multiple charges that were widely considered politically motivated.

His death has drawn international attention and calls for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding his demise.