French researcher Laurent Vinatier, who is suspected of illegally collecting sensitive Russian military information, stands inside an enclosure for defendants during a court hearing in Moscow, Russia October 14, 2024. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina
MOSCOW, Dec 25 (Reuters) - Russia had made a proposal to France regarding Laurent Vinatier, a French researcher jailed for violating Russia's foreign agent laws, and the ball is now in Paris's court, the Kremlin said on Thursday.
Vinatier was sentenced in 2024 to three years in jail for failing to comply with laws requiring individuals deemed "foreign agents" to register and meet a number of stipulations. He is now facing additional espionage charges.
France has said Vinatier was arbitrarily detained and has called for his release. President Emmanuel Macron has denied that Vinatier worked for the French state and has described his arrest as part of a misinformation campaign by Moscow.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that there had been contacts with France on the issue.
"There were indeed relevant contacts between us and the French," Peskov told reporters. "Indeed, an offer was made to the French about this. The ball is in France's court right now."
Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier this month that he would look into the case.
(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov; Writing by Anastasia Teterevleva; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Gleb Bryanski)
