French researcher Laurent Vinatier leaves prison on January 8, 2026. SERVICE FÉDÉRAL DE SÉCURITÉ RUSSE/RUSSIA-1 VIA AP
Tatiana Kastouéva-Jean, the director of the Russia-Eurasia Center at the French Institute of International Relations, considers the move “a signal,” though she has refrained from calling it a “true diplomatic thaw” between Moscow and Paris. The pardon granted on Thursday, January 8, by Vladimir Putin to French researcher Laurent Vinatier, who had been detained in Russia for more than 18 months after his arrest in June 2024, comes at a time when relations between the two capitals remain icy, though not severed.
Nearly four years after Russia launched its war on Ukraine, Emmanuel Macron offered a restrained welcome to Vinatier, a specialist in post-Soviet affairs, upon his return to France on January 8. On X, the French president said he shared the “relief of his family and loved ones,” while refraining from thanking his Russian counterpart. In Paris, Vinatier was initially greeted by Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noël Barrot at the Quai d’Orsay, the French foreign ministry.
The French authorities’ restraint has been all the more pronounced given the slow progress of negotiations, led under the Trump administration, to end the conflict in Ukraine – mainly due to the Russian leader’s intransigence. In Paris, Berlin and London, officials believe that Putin is seeking to press his advantage on the ground and cares little for the concessions needed for a peace agreement. Overnight on Thursday, Russia carried out large-scale bombings in Ukraine, with authorities reporting at least four deaths in Kyiv and a hypersonic missile strike in the West.
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