French TV under fire over ‘disgraceful’ interview with Russian minister
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More than four years into Russia’s full-scale invasion on Ukraine, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed Moscow was intent on defending “international law”.
PHOTO: REUTERS
PARIS - French public television came under severe criticism on March 27 for airing a prime-time interview with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
The France 2 television channel aired 10 minutes of the pre-recorded interview during its evening news on March 26, while the full hour-long version was posted online.
More than four years into Russia’s full-scale invasion on Ukraine, Mr Lavrov on France 2 claimed Moscow was intent on defending “international law”.
He said US-Israeli strikes on Iran that sparked the Middle East war had breached these rules.
But he rejected any notion of Russia breaking international law in Ukraine, claiming its forces never targeted “exclusively civilian” targets.
Ukraine’s ambassador to France Vadym Omelchenko said on X people must be wondering why French television had given a platform to “a war criminal”.
Russia specialist Dimitri Minic described the interview as “catastrophic”.
“In case France TV teams still underestimate information warfare, they should understand that Moscow has made it the central weapon of its war against the West,” he wrote on X.
Researcher Etienne Marcuz described it as a “disgraceful interview during which a minister from an opposing power can calmly reel off his talking points at prime time on France’s main public channel, and almost without any pushback” from the television presenter.
France TV did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.
During the interview, presenter Lea Salame responded that France 2 reporters had documented civilian deaths in Ukraine.
US-led Ukraine peace talks to end Europe’s worst conflict since World War II have been derailed by the Middle East conflict. AFP
