The proposal to exchange Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny for Vadim Krasikov, who is serving a sentence in Germany, was submitted to the White House by former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, The Wall Street Journal writes, citing sources, UNN reports .
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The exchange of Alexei Navalny was also discussed between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and US President Joe Biden.
According to the publication, the discussion of the exchange of Alexei Navalny among American politicians began in the spring of 2023, when WSJ correspondent Evan Gershkovich was detained in Russia. Then Hillary Clinton entered the negotiation process, after being asked to do so by investigator Khristo Grozev.
The Russian oppositionist was proposed to be exchanged for Russian Vadim Krasikov, who was sentenced to life in Germany for the murder of Chechen field commander Zelimkhan Khangoshvili.
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According to the WSJ, Yulia Navalnaya unofficially asked German officials to facilitate the exchange. However, German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock opposed any deal involving Vadim Krasikov.
According to the WSJ, on February 9, 2024, Olaf Scholz met with Joe Biden in Washington, D.C., to discuss a possible exchange. Following the talks, the American and German sides settled on discussing the exchange of Vadim Krasikov for Alexei Navalny. The WSJ notes that the White House did not make an official offer to the Kremlin at the time - the information was to be passed on to Russian President Vladimir Putin by intermediaries.
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