The Interview

William Ruto, Kenya's new president, granted an interview to FRANCE 24's Marc Perelman on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. Ruto warned that the worst drought in 40 years risks causing starvation in the Horn of Africa, adding that "3.1 million people are facing severe drought" in Kenya alone. "This is no longer a country-by-country challenge. This is becoming a multilateral challenge," he insisted, calling on multilateral institutions and lenders for support. Ruto blamed climate change for the drought but stressed that the situation had been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine and the resulting fall in grain exports to Africa.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari told FRANCE 24 the floods that ravaged his country had created a catastrophe of apocalyptical proportions. In addition to more than 1,500 deaths, the disaster has caused dual health and food security crises. Zardari said Pakistan needs some $30 billion in aid and praised international efforts under way to offer help. Neighbouring India, however, has failed to offer assistance, said Zardari, who condemned the country's government as "racist" and "Islamophobic".

In an interview with FRANCE 24 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Iraq's Foreign inister Fuad Hussein said he was hoping to host a meeting in Baghdad between the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia. Hussein said that after five meetings between intelligence officials of the two rival powers in recent months, it was time to upgrade and have the two top diplomats meet in person. He added that while there were still disagreements on a number of issues, his discussions with both sides had left him encouraged that a breakthrough was possible.

Two days before the start of the 77th UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he hoped the International Criminal Court (ICC) would be able to investigate the alleged massacre in the eastern Ukrainian city of Izium in an interview with FRANCE 24’s Marc Perelman and RFI’s Christophe Boisbouvier.

A lightning Ukrainian counter-offensive has recaptured 6,000 square kilometres of territory in the country's northeast and south since the start of September, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. In an interview with FRANCE 24, Ukraine's deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration said that this advance was the turning point, not only of the Russian invasion that started on February 24 but also "of the war that started in the spring of 2014". Olga Stefanishyna spoke to Marc Perelman from Kyiv.

Queen Elizabeth II passed away last week after reigning for 70 years over a Commonwealth of Nations that included Barbados until November 2021, when the country became a republic. In an interview with FRANCE 24, Prime Minister Mia Mottley said the queen "did extraordinary well as the head of the United Kingdom and, indeed, as head of the Commonwealth".

Pavel Filatyev is a former Russian soldier who fought for two months in Ukraine. In an online journal, he denounced the invasion of Ukraine and the pitiful state of the Russian army. Out of fear of reprisals, he fled his country with the help of an NGO. The 34-year-old former paratrooper arrived in France last week via Tunisia. He is now under police protection and plans to seek political asylum. In an interview with FRANCE 24, he recounted his decision to flee, his journey to France and what Russians really think of the war in Ukraine.

In an interview with FRANCE 24, French foreign ministry spokesperson Anne-Claire Legendre discussed the current challenges faced by French diplomats and explained the "diplomacy of combat" championed by President Emmanuel Macron at a recent address to French ambassadors. Russia's hybrid war in Ukraine includes a "disinformation war" that must be countered, she said. "The president as well as the [foreign] minister called on us to be much more [present] on social media and much more forceful in defending our position and in countering disinformation," Legendre added.

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Dr. Cary Fowler, the US Special Envoy for Global Food Security, discussed the issue of global hunger, particularly in Africa. Dr. Fowler hailed the arrival in Djibouti of a UN-chartered ship loaded with 23,000 tonnes of Ukrainian wheat, destined for millions at risk of starvation in Ethiopia and Somalia. "Ukraine's grain is getting out and it's getting to the world's hungry," he said, stressing that the docking of the bulk carrier MV Brave Commander "gives us some hope" and is "a step in the right direction".

An uptick in fighting in recent weeks near the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility in southern Ukraine, Europe's largest, has led to fears of a nuclear accident. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) wants to send a mission to inspect the plant but has yet to gain access. In an exclusive interview with FRANCE 24, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi expressed hope that the visit would take place within "days".