Russian president Vladimir Putin has refused to guarantee that Alexei Navalny will ever leave prison alive, and warned that 'nobody should be given special treatment'.

Putin also said that the opposition leader's continued detention was not his decision, and noted the poor state of medical care inside Russia's jails.

The Russian's comments came during a heated interview with NBC News ahead of Putin's Geneva summit with Joe Biden, in which he was asked whether he would be willing to 'personally ensure that Alexei Navalny will leave prison alive.'

Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview with NBC refused to guarantee that Alexei Navalny will ever leave prison alive, and warned that 'nobody should be given special treatment' in Russia's prison system +6 Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview with NBC refused to guarantee that Alexei Navalny will ever leave prison alive, and warned that 'nobody should be given special treatment' in Russia's prison system