FM Sybiha: Giving platform to war criminals has nothing to do with free speech

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29.03.2026 16:02

Ukrinform

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s appearance on a major French television channel with propaganda-laden comments, coinciding with the G7 summit in which Ukraine was participating.

He made this statement in an interview with Ukrinform.

“We believe it is fundamentally wrong to provide a platform to war criminals—Lavrov among them—enabling them to spread propaganda and manipulate public opinion on a large scale. This is not about freedom of speech; it is about enabling the dissemination of disinformation,” he stated.

Sybiha added that he had brought this fact to the attention of French Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.

“I know that this has caused discontent in French society as well. But I know for certain that the state is not involved in this. I heard an explanation of how this happened, and they are currently addressing the situation,” he explained.

As reported, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot publicly responded to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the closing press conference, accusing him of lying and spreading propaganda regarding Ukraine, international law, and media freedom.