Russian President Vladimir Putin's office has not made any deals with Telegram chief executive Pavel Durov, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.
Peskov told a briefing that as far as he was aware, Putin had never met Durov.
A French judge put Durov under formal investigation on Wednesday for suspected complicity in running an online platform that allows illicit transactions, child sex abuse images, drug trafficking and fraud.
Durov's lawyer said on Thursday it was "absurd" to suggest the Russian-born tech entrepreneur should be held responsible for any crimes committed on the app.