Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson interviewed Russian President Vladimir Putin on his Internet channel, covering topics such as the war in Ukraine, the detention of an American journalist, and the relations with NATO.
On his Internet channel, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson aired a two-hour-long interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin this Thursday.
One of the main topics of the meeting was the ongoing war in Ukraine, which Putin claimed was triggered by a “coup d’état” in 2014 that aimed to “end” the conflict. The interviewer said that the president firmly believed that “Russia has the right to parts of western Ukraine” and even said that this country was “an artificial state” created by the late Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin. The president also dismissed any plans to invade Poland or Latvia and said that it would only happen if these countries “attack Russia.”
“We have no interest in Poland, Latvia or anywhere else. Why would we do it? We simply have no interest… It is absolutely out of the question,” he said.
The president also criticized the United States for its role and influence in the conflict and alleged that there were an unknown number of “American mercenaries” in Ukraine, who were almost as many as the Poles and outnumbered the Georgians. He warned Washington that increasing its involvement on the ground would put “humanity on the edge of a very serious global conflict.”
“You have problems at the borders with immigration, problems with the national debt of more than 33 trillion dollars… And you have nothing better to do? (…) Wouldn’t it be better to negotiate with Russia to reach an agreement, given that we will fight to the end for our goals?” he said.
He also said that the countries “keep in touch” about the conflict and mentioned that he told the United States that if it stops supplying weapons to Kyiv, deals could be made and the war could end “in a few weeks.” He also said that he was willing to negotiate on Ukraine, but Volodymyr Zelensky “has signed a decree forbidding anyone from negotiating with Russia (because) he follows orders from Western countries.”
He also talked about the detention of American journalist Evan Gershkovich and said that “an agreement can be reached” for his release. “There is no taboo to solve this issue. We are ready to solve it, but there are certain conditions that are being discussed through the channels of special services. I think an agreement can be reached,” he said.
Among the historical references he made, Putin recalled the presidency of Bill Clinton, who he said he asked if his country could join NATO, but he got a negative answer. The Russian said in the interview that, if he had gotten a “yes” instead, a period of closer ties between Moscow and the military alliance would have started.
About the explosion of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, which connect Russia and Germany through the Baltic Sea, Carlson asked Putin who he thought was behind the incident, to which he ignored the signs of sabotage against him and answered “the CIA” or the Western allies. “You have to look at who is interested and, moreover, who has the ability, because many may have the interest but not the means to dive into the depths of the Baltic Sea and carry out this explosion,” he explained along with his answer.
The Kremlin said that the interview was not due to Carlson’s “pro-Russian” stance but to his different position from other Anglo-Saxon journalists.
“He has a position that is different from the others. He is not pro-Russian or pro-Ukrainian, but rather pro-American. But he at least differs from the position of the traditional Anglo-Saxon media,” said the spokesman for the Russian presidency, Dmitri Peskov, who also stressed his wish for “the largest number of people in the world to know the vision and the main points of the Head of State.”
Carlson, on his part, urged Americans and all citizens of any country to watch the interview and make their own judgment about Putin, not as “slaves”.
The meeting, which required the American to travel to Moscow, happened at a crucial moment for many of the political actors. On one hand, it will be known a few days before the two-year anniversary of the massive invasion that Putin ordered on neighboring Ukraine, which has earned him a lot of criticism, especially lately. On the other hand, it coincides with the electoral campaign of the Russian president, who will try to remain another term in the Kremlin – something that is not in doubt given the widespread fraud machinery he controls and the repression of opponents – as well as on the eve of the Republican primaries, in which Carlson’s friend and Putin supporter, Donald Trump, will look for his spot to face Joe Biden and return to the White House.
For all these reasons, the Russian Executive said that the event “has been an event of great impact, not only in the United States but also in our country, an impact that – in some cases – I would say excessive” and that could even cause more controversy. One of them, however, was not favorable for Carlson: after the news of this episode became known, the European Union said that it will think about sanctioning him for helping Kremlin propaganda.
