The Interview

FRANCE 24 spoke to the former head of Saudi intelligence, Turki al-Faisal, following the announcement that Iran and Saudi Arabia have agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations. The prince expressed hope that last week's China-brokered deal will be a game-changer for the region, mentioning Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and especially Yemen, where a deadly conflict has resulted in the world's worst humanitarian crisis. The former ambassador to the US and UK also explained why China was "the logical partner" in making the deal happen.

FRANCE 24 spoke to Andrey Medvedev, a deserter of Russia's Wagner Group, almost two months after he fled to Norway. The 26-year-old Russian ex-mercenary entered the country illegally on January 13 in a bid to seek asylum there. Speaking from Oslo, Medvedev explained that he "witnessed many things" while fighting with the Wagner Group in Ukraine. However, he said he was unable to talk in detail about them and was keeping this information for Norwegian investigators. Medvedev also apologised to the Ukrainian people.

In an interview with FRANCE 24 from Tel Aviv, former Mossad chief Danny Yatom expressed deep concern at the prospect of Israel becoming a "dictatorship". For weeks, Israel has been rocked by a wave of protests against a bill that would curtail the independence of the country's highest court. Yatom claimed the bill was an attempt by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "run away from the trial he is facing" on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Yatom also criticised Netanyahu's coalition partners for backing the legislation.

The prosecutor general of Ukraine, Andriy Kostin, told FRANCE 24 that he had identified and collected evidences of war crimes committed by the leader of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin.

In an interview with FRANCE 24's Gulliver Cragg in Kyiv, the head of the parliamentary faction of President Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the People party discussed the situation in Ukraine, one year after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. David Arakhamia said Russian President Vladimir Putin had "lost influence in the world" as a result of Moscow's military setbacks in Ukraine. Arakhamia said "everyone" should worry after Putin said he would suspend his country's participation in New START, the last remaining major nuclear arms control treaty between the US and Russia.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba expressed confidence that Ukraine would win the war against the invading force of Russia, in an interview with FRANCE 24. Speaking in Brussels a few days ahead of the first anniversary of Russia's invasion, the top Ukrainian diplomat explained why he thinks President Vladimir Putin represents a global threat for the international community, saying that the Russian president's strategy was "destruction and undermining stability". Kuleba added, "No one is interested in having a UN Security Council member and a nuclear power messing up the world."

FRANCE 24 spoke to Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti, as Kosovo celebrates 15 years of independence. Kurti is due to meet Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels on February 27 and said he was "very optimistic" that an agreement leading to full normalisation between the two countries could happen "this year". He regretted that relations between Kosovo and Serbia "are not normal" and claimed Belgrade isolated itself by "not delinking (...) from the Kremlin".

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto spoke with FRANCE 24’s Marc Perelman during the Munich Security Conference. The president discussed Finland’s plans to join NATO, whether Western leaders misjudged Russian President Vladimir Putin prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and whether there is a risk that Russian military action will expand further into Europe.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki sat down with FRANCE 24’s Marc Perelman at the Munich Security Conference to talk about the war in Ukraine and US President Joe Biden’s upcoming visit to Poland to mark the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby sat down with FRANCE 24’s Washington correspondent Kethevane Gorjestani to talk about the war in Ukraine, the United States’ diplomatic relations with China after the latter sent a spy balloon over its territory, and why the Iran nuclear deal is currently off the table.