NEW YORK, August 28. /TASS/. French President Emmanuel Macron invited Telegram founder Pavel Durov to move the company to Paris back in 2018, The Wall Street Journal writes, citing sources.

Macron also discussed granting French citizenship to the Telegram CEO, one of the sources said. However, Durov declined to move Telegram to Paris.

Durov was detained at Le Bourget Airport outside Paris on August 24; his custody was extended to 96 hours the next day. The Paris prosecutor’s office suspects him of complicity in drug trafficking, fraud crimes against children committed through Telegram.

The Russian embassy in France said diplomats had demanded that Durov’s rights be protected and he be provided with consular access. "So far, the French authorities have been evading cooperation on the matter," the embassy added.