Moscow makes an offer to Paris. A breakthrough in the case of a detained scientist?

The Russian authorities have made a proposal to France regarding Laurent Vinatier, a French scientist convicted in Russia of violating the law on “foreign agents”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday, quoted by Reuters.

An offer was made to France in this regard. The ball is now in her court, Peskov said on Thursday, without giving details.

French President Emmanuel Macron's entourage, quoted by the AFP agency, assured that the French leader was monitoring Vinatier's situation on an ongoing basis and remained fully committed to his release.

The scientist's family told AFP through a lawyer on Thursday that they hoped for his release during the holiday season this year.

In an interview with RTL radio, the scientist's mother, Brigitte Vinatier, said that she was very happy that the Russian and French sides were communicating again.

– He has a cellmate, which is probably a good thing. He can't go out, he can't communicate, but he can go for a walk in the yard, the mother of the imprisoned researcher said on RTL radio. Vinatier was also supposed to receive a package of food from the embassy.

Mid October Vinatier was sentenced to three years in a penal colony. According to the indictment, in 2021 and 2022 he met with three Russian citizens and collected information about “mobilization, combat preparation of troops” and the political situation, which – as it was believed – could be used against Russia's security interests. He currently faces an additional espionage charge.

The 48-year-old Frenchman – doctor of philosophy, expert on Russia and Central Asia, also dealing with the history of wars in Chechnya, worked for the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue based in Geneva. Previously, he was a consultant to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Paris stressed that Vinatier had been illegally detained and called on the Russian authorities to release him immediately. Vinatier himself pleaded guilty. He emphasized that he did not know that he should register as a “foreign agent”.

On December 19, Macron signaled after the EU summit in Brussels that he was ready to resume dialogue with the Russian leader. He added that “there are people who talk to Putin,” which, according to the media, was an allusion to US President Donald Trump. The Kremlin has signaled its readiness to enter into talks with Paris.

On Thursday, Peskov also reported that Putin extended Christmas wishes to Trump. As he noted, a telephone conversation between the leaders is not planned that day. The last such conversation between Trump and Putin took place on October 16.

On Wednesday, a Kremlin spokesman said that a meeting of US and Russian leaders is not currently planned. Since the Budapest summit announced in mid-October and later canceled by the US, this issue has not made any progress. (PAP)

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