On the occasion of a special edition devoted to the war in Ukraine, broadcast Thursday evening February 24 on France 2, Dominique de Villepin and Bernard-Henri Lévy had lively exchanges, resulting in the departure of the former Prime Minister of the board.
The tone rose between the two men about a possible military intervention by France on Ukrainian soil.
For the writer and philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy, such an intervention is imperative because, according to him, it would be the way to weaken Russian forces and protect civilians.
An opinion far from being shared by Dominique de Villepin: “Let us not forget the martyrdom, the suffering experienced by the Iraqi people; the martyrdom, the suffering experienced by the Libyan people; let’s not forget the suffering we have inflicted by hopeless military interventions!” For him, the diplomatic route is therefore to be preferred.
“We will not reconcile you tonight”
According to the essayist, who in 2011 supported the French intervention in Libya against Muammar Gaddafi, not intervening militarily would be a mistake; Worse, it would justify, still according to him, France’s desire to have a privileged dialogue with Vladimir Poutine: “Re-engaging in diplomacy, not taking sides, these are the mistakes of the past”, assures Bernard-Henri Lévy. The tone rises between the two men: “I do not believe that posture on television sets is the right answer”, asserts Dominique de Villepin, who ends up leaving the set.
Léa Salamé, host of the show, closes the debate: “We will not reconcile you tonight.”