The Kremlin announced on Christmas Day that Russia has submitted "a proposal" to Paris regarding Laurent Vinatier, who is imprisoned on espionage charges.
The surprising public offer comes at a time when both Russia and France have expressed interest in possible talks between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron.
The French researcher works for a Swiss organization and was imprisoned in June 2024.
"There are contacts between our side and the French. In fact, a proposal has been submitted to the French regarding Vinatier," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that "the ball is now in France's court."
Putin said last week that he would investigate Vinatier's case after a French journalist asked him about it during a televised press conference at the end of the year.
Laurent Vinatier's French family "hopes he can be released during the Christmas holidays," the family's lawyer Belot told AFP.
"We have full confidence in French diplomacy, which is doing everything it can," says Belot.
