The Interview

In an interview with FRANCE 24, former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko expressed concern over the fate of the Ukrainian soldiers evacuated from the besieged Azovstal steel plant in the eastern city of Mariupol, saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin should "never" be trusted. Ukrainian authorities say the fighters have been taken to areas under the control of Russian forces or pro-Russian rebels and will be exchanged at a later date for Russian prisoners.

Duwa Lashi La is the acting president of the National Unity Government (NUG) of Myanmar, a parallel government formed in opposition to the junta after the latter seized power in a February 2021 coup. Speaking to FRANCE 24 from a secret location in the country, Duwa Lashi La said that "within a year, we achieved significant success on the military and administrative fronts". He claimed that his People's Defence Force controls 15 percent of Myanmar and that combined with the ethnic resistance groups, the "collective resistance forces" control "almost 50 percent" of the country.

President Volodymyr Zelensky's top aid, Igor Zhovka, spoke to FRANCE 24 from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. The deputy head of the presidential office assessed the situation on the two main front lines of the country, in Donbas and Mariupol, the latter of which he said was a city almost wiped out by Russian shelling but which he said will "never surrender". Zhovka hailed the reelection of President Emmanuel Macron but said he also expects more from France, including a more consistent supply of heavy weaponry.

In an interview with FRANCE 24, the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that the bloc "will continue" providing military support to Ukraine, while taking care not to become a "belligerent" in the conflict. Speaking to Europe Editor Catherine Nicholson, Borrell added that he expects the EU to eventually impose a total ban on imports of Russian oil in a bid to reduce the Kremlin's ability to finance its war in Ukraine.

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Ukraine's Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova discussed the alleged war crimes committed by the Russian military in Ukraine. Venediktova warned that she expects to find "evidence of genocide" in the besieged eastern city of Mariupol. She also warned that "huge numbers of people" are being deported to Russia, including children. The prosecutor general said that "sexual crimes" have taken place in all occupied areas of Ukraine and have targeted women, including even elderly women, but also men and children. Venediktova explained that more than 7,000 war crimes investigations have already been opened.

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged France and President Emmanuel Macron to call atrocities committed by Russian forces in Ukraine a "genocide”. Macron earlier this week refused to use the term, a decision that Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky called "painful". Kuleba welcomed the latest weapons deliveries from Kyiv's international partners, especially from the US, but urged Germany to supply Ukraine with heavy weapons. The top diplomat also conceded that the future of the war will be decided "on the battleground" and not at the negotiating table.

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Russian theatre and film director Kirill Serebrennikov said that what was happening in Ukraine is indeed "a war" and that Russia "quite obviously" started it. In his native Russia, the conflict is being called a "special military operation" and describing it as a war is against the law. Serebrennikov said the "tragedy" in Ukraine breaks his heart and expressed concern that the war could transform into "hatred" [...] and destroy our hearts, our lives, our careers, everything". The director also criticised the boycott of Russian artists by Western countries.

Indian mystic and visionary Sadhguru is making a 100-day motorbike journey from Europe to India to raise awareness of soil erosion. He told FRANCE 24's Delano D'Souza why he feels his mission is important for humankind. With more than half of agricultural soils are already degraded, Sadhguru warned that "there is no alternative to soil". He also described his own personal journey, saying that he does not see himself as a guru.

The town of Bucha has become the "symbol" of massacres by Russian troops and "compromise with Russia is impossible after Bucha", Ukraine's former president Petro Poroshenko told FRANCE 24 in an interview from Kyiv. Poroshenko added that Vladimir Putin "wants to have all of us dead", calling the Russian leader "the devil". He also called for an unconditional ceasefire before any talks, a stance currently at odds with the official Ukrainian position.

Exiled Russian dissident Ilya Ponomarev gave an interview to FRANCE 24 from Kyiv. The former Russian lawmaker was the only member of the Douma to vote against the annexation of Crimea back in 2014 and now lives in Ukraine. He predicted that "Putin will be gone soon", arguing that the Russian president has "definitely lost the war" in Ukraine and that "no dictator who has lost a war can stay in power". Asked about the suspected war crimes in Bucha that have shocked the world, Ponomarev claimed that the killings were most likely the results of "panic" by retreating Russian forces, rather than carefully planned.