Russia made a 'proposal' regarding jailed French researcher Laurent Vinatier

Moscow has made an offer to Paris regarding jailed French researcher Laurent Vinatier, facing espionage charges that could see him sentenced to 20 years in a Russian prison, the Kremlin said Thursday.

"There were appropriate contacts between our side and the French. Indeed, a proposal was made to the French regarding Vinatier," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters without providing details.

"The ball is now in France's court," he added.

Vinatier, who works for a Swiss conflict mediation NGO and was jailed in June 2024, is serving a three-year sentence for failing to register as a "foreign agent" but faces fresh allegations of spying.

Read moreFrench researcher in Russian jail faces new espionage charge

Vinatier's family have rejected the accusations against him, saying he is a victim of tensions between Moscow and Paris over the war in Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin said last week he would look into the case after a French journalist asked him about it during an end-of-year televised press conference.

"I don't know anything about this case. This is the first I've heard of it," Putin said.

"But I promise you I'll definitely find out what it is. And if there's even the slightest chance of resolving this matter favourably, if Russian law allows it, we'll make every effort," Putin said.

Vinatier is one of several Westerners to have been arrested after Putin launched an all-out offensive on Ukraine in February 2022.

Read moreThe US citizens held in Russian prisons

Several US citizens have been arrested and then released in prisoner exchanges brokered by both US President Donald Trump and his predecessor Joe Biden.

In court hearings on his original case, Vinatier, a veteran Russia expert, said he had not known he was required to register with the authorities under Moscow's "foreign agents" law, which is widely used to target and sideline critics of the Kremlin.

He apologised and said through his work he had always tried to represent Russia's interests in international relations.

Moscow has used alleged breaches of the "foreign agents" law to arrest people before hitting them with more serious charges – as happened to Vinatier.

His family remains “cautiously hopeful” but hopes he will be "released during the holidays” between now and Orthodox Christmas on January 7, his lawyer Frédéric Belot said.

“We have every confidence in French diplomacy, which is doing its utmost,” Belot continued, hoping that Vinatier's fate will be discussed during talks between Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)