Ségolène Royal claims to have "never denied war crimes" in Ukraine and "apologizes"

Europe 1 with AFP 8:10 p.m., September 3, 2022

Former socialist presidential candidate Ségolène Royal said on Twitter on Saturday that she had "never denied war crimes" and apologized "to the victims if they thought so", after her controversial remarks on the war in Ukraine.

Thursday evening, on BFMTV, she had denounced "war propaganda by fear" on the part of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and questioned in particular the reality of "bombed maternity" in the south-east of Ukraine in march.

She also questioned the Boutcha massacre or "the story of child rape for seven hours under the eyes of the parents".

"It's monstrous to go and broadcast things like that just to interrupt the peace process," she said.

A "bidding in the description of horror"

His remarks sparked a lively controversy within the political world.

"I have never denied war crimes and I happily apologize to the victims if they thought so," Ségolène Royal tweeted on Saturday.

She wanted to highlight the end of her remarks on Thursday, according to her "cut in the replays".

It's https://t.co/ZIkrmiw8GL have never denied war crimes.

What all the experts know: war propaganda by fear, by terror, which leads to escalation. Let us recall the criminal strikes in Iraq, on the lie.

Chirac, isolated, had the courage to say no

— Ségolène Royal (@RoyalSegolene) September 2, 2022

She specified that "there is a form of one-upmanship in the description of the horror, to encourage arms deliveries and to refrain from setting up negotiation and peace processes, while the Ukrainian people needs peace (...) The description of the horrors within the framework of a propaganda of war prevents the processes of peace”.

“To plead for peace is to act for the end of the suffering of the Ukrainian people and of Russian aggression,” she said again on Saturday.