Ukraine's French ambassador, Vadym Omelchenko, wrote on X that people must be wondering why French television gave a platform to "a war criminal." A Russia expert described the interview as "catastrophic."
More than four years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Lavrov claimed that Moscow was defending "international law."
He said that the US and Israeli attacks on Iran earlier this year violated these rules. But Lavrov firmly rejected the idea that Russia was violating international law in Ukraine, saying that Russian forces had never targeted civilians exclusively.
Ten minutes of the interview were shown in prime time during the news broadcast on Thursday evening.
