The Interview

Exiled Russian Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky said in an interview with FRANCE 24 from London that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is political "suicide" for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who "cannot win in Ukraine, even if he manages to take Kyiv or Kharkiv".  This war is the result of an "emotional decision" by Putin, the former oligarch said.

Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs told FRANCE 24 in an interview from the Latvian capital Riga on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is seeking to install a puppet regime in Kyiv. But, Rinkevics said, he believes such a plan "will fail", as the Kremlin doesn’t have the military capacity to occupy Ukraine and "winning over the minds of Ukrainians after what the Russians are doing is almost impossible".

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu reacted to the latest developments in the war in Ukraine. With more NATO troops and weaponry set to be deployed in Romania in the coming days, the top diplomat said that this move "cannot be seen as a provocation" but was instead a "legitimate response" by the Alliance to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Asked about the humanitarian situation at the border, Aurescu said that Romania was open to "all those in need".

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili reacted to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Georgian leader said she was "not too convinced" by Russian President Vladimir Putin's assurances that he is willing to stop attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. Zurabishvili added that the only party that is escalating the war in Ukraine is Putin himself.

Former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko said in an interview with FRANCE 24 from Kyiv that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "ready to use all possibilities" to achieve victory in Ukraine, including plans to target Ukrainian nuclear power plants.

Former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko granted an exclusive interview to FRANCE 24 from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, just a few kilometres away from Russian troops. Poroshenko, who was in power from 2014 to 2019, welcomed the "growing" Western support for his country, as well as the EU's decision to provide some €450 million in weapons to the Ukrainian military. He thanked EU leaders for their support, saying "we are not afraid of Putin" and "Putin is weak when we are together".

FRANCE 24 spoke to Sir John Sawers, the former head of Britain’s secret intelligence service. Sawers, who headed the MI6 between 2009 and 2014, said that if Russia’s President Vladimir Putin decides to take military action against Ukraine, it would be in his interest to limit an invasion to eastern Ukraine. But, he cautioned: “There is no doubt that Russia has the capability to carry out a full invasion, take over Kiev, and install a puppet regime.”

In a interview with FRANCE 24 at the EU-African Union summit in Brussels, Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo said the French-led troop withdrawal from Mali required "new arrangements" in the regional fight against terrorism. Akufo-Addo, who is also the current chairman of West African bloc ECOWAS, demanded the departure of "foreign mercenaries" from the region and explained that negotiations are underway with the Malian junta on an election timetable. He called the junta's proposal of a four-year transition "clearly unacceptable" and said a 12-month transition period would be "an acceptable framework", while stressing that this was not official ECOWAS position.

Six months after the Taliban retook Afghanistan, FRANCE 24 spoke to former Afghan president Hamid Karzai, who remains in the country. Karzai strongly criticised the Biden administration's recent decision to unfreeze Afghan assets but divide the funds between aid to Afghanistan and victims of the 9/11 attacks, saying the funds "belong to the Afghan people". He also said he believed the Taliban would eventually allow girls to return to school, since doing so is "absolutely necessary for the well-being" of Afghanistan.

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Russia's Permanent Representative to the European Union denied that the six Russian naval ships in the Black Sea have anything to do with Ukraine. Vladimir A. Chizhov also insisted that Moscow has no intention to make a move on Ukrainian territory and reiterated that the Kremlin is committed to a diplomatic outcome to the crisis.