Vladimir Putin says he approved Navalny prisoner-swap in post-election press briefing

March 18 (UPI) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said the death of Alexei Navalny was "unfortunate" as he acknowledged a rumored prisoner swap with the West involving the late opposition figure.

Speaking on Sunday night after his victory in a presidential election, Putin said he had immediately given his approval when the prisoner swap idea had been floated a short time before Navalny's "sad" passing in an Arctic Prison on Feb. 16.

"Several days before Mr. Navalny perished, I was told by some of my colleagues... that there is an idea to exchange Mr. Navalny for some people in prison in Western countries, Putin said.

"Believe me or not, the person talking to me hardly finished their sentence when I said: 'I agree.' But unfortunately, the thing that happened happened."

Putin added that the proposed swap would have been conditioned on the understanding that Navalny would never come back to Russia.

"But such is life. When things like that happen you cannot do anything about it -- that's life," he said.

Kremlin spokesman Dimitry Peskov clarified Monday that Putin was not referring to a fully formed proposition but merely approving a suggestion that was at the very earliest stage.

"He said that an idea was put forward by one of the people about an exchange of Navalny, for which he potentially agreed and immediately told the person who put forward such an idea about this," Peskov said, according to state media.

Navalny's supporters accuse Putin of ordering Navalny's death in order to sabotage an imminent prisoner swap that would have also seen two other Americans released in exchange for Vadim Krasikov, a Russian FSB agent jailed in Germany for the Berlin assassination of a Chechen separatist.

Former Navalny chief of staff Leonid Volkov said Putin's comments were tantamount to a confession he had ordered Navalny killed.

"Putin killed Alexei Navalny. And now he has decided he doesn't need to pretend anymore. He's confirmed it himself," Volkov wrote on social media.

Roman Dobrokhotov, another close Navalny ally, alleged the only reason Putin agreed to the swap was because he already knew Navalny's fate and was now disingenuously claiming he had no reason to want him harmed, given he was going to be part of a prisoner exchange.

Late last month, Maria Pevchikh, Chair of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation claimed that the deal was in the final stages the night before Navalny died after two years of negotiations.

"It could and should have happened. Navalny in coming days was supposed to have been freed, because we had achieved a decision on his release," she said in a Feb. 26 video post. "I received confirmation that negotiations were at the final stages on the evening of Feb. 15. On Feb. 16, Alexei was killed."

She alleged, however, that Putin never wanted to free Navalny and instead sought to "offer someone else" in the prisoner exchange after seeing the West was open to granting Krasikov's release by getting "rid of the bargaining chip" of Navalny.

Putin did tell former Fox News host Tucker Carlson in an interview aired a week before Navalny's death that he would be open prisoner swap that could include releasing Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.

The Russian authorities deny any involvement in Navalny's death, insisting he died of natural causes.