MOSCOW — Edward J. Snowden, the fugitive and former American intelligence contractor, would like to return to the United States after nearly two years in exile in Russia, according to his Russian lawyer.

Mr. Snowden was granted asylum in Russia in 2013 after leaking secret documents that revealed the sweeping extent to which the United States government was monitoring private communications.

Anatoly G. Kucherena, the lawyer, told a news conference in Moscow on Tuesday that he was working with a team of American and German lawyers on legal issues that would allow for Mr. Snowden’s return. Mr. Snowden is seeking a guarantee of a legal and impartial trial, Mr. Kucherena said.

“He has a desire to go back, and we are doing everything possible to make that happen,” Mr. Kucherena said at a presentation about a book that he has written based on Mr. Snowden’s life, the first volume in an expected trilogy, the news agency Interfax reported.