Former Fox News personality and now social media pundit, Tucker Carlson, posted his online interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, giving the autocrat free reign to make his case to the world, and to his domestic audience in an election year.
As the right-wing pundit politely listened, Putin spoke for about two hours on various topics seemingly of his own choosing, including why Russia cannot be stopped in Ukraine, and why the West is wrong to send weapons for its defense.
“Up until now, there has been uproar and screaming about inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield. But now they are apparently coming to realize that it is difficult to achieve, if possible, at all. In my opinion, it is impossible by definition,” he said.
“If you really want to stop fighting, you need to stop supplying weapons,” Putin instructed the media consultant to former US president Donald Trump, who has historically strong ties with the Kremlin.
Carlson, who has referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a “pimp,” a “comedian-turned-oligarch” and “sweaty and rat-like”, has made no secret about where his loyalties lie in the conflict.
He recorded the interview on Tuesday in Moscow to much fanfare, was given the celebrity treatment around the capital, and then posted it online on Thursday evening.
The interview began with a question about why Russia felt threatened by the West and decided to invade Ukraine, to which Putin responded, “Are we having a talk show here or a serious conversation?”
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While Carlson got a jovial laugh out of Putin’s wit, the audience was left to wonder much the same as the Russian president was given two hours to talk freely and almost unchallenged.
The 54-year-old American, who was kicked out of a Swiss boarding school in his youth and never graduated from his college in Connecticut, at least received a free, 30-minute lecture about Russian, Polish and Ukrainian history from the former KGB employee, spanning the centuries from the Varangian leadership of Kyiv in the 900s, to the Mongol invasion of Eastern Europe in the 14th century, right up to early foreign policy of the Soviet Union.
After nodding quietly and taking this all in, and about 100 rarely interrupted minutes on anything else Putin decided to talk about, Carlson did manage to land one tough question, about Wall Street Journal Evan Gershkovich, being held in Russia on espionage charges.
Putin said that, while he was certain Gershkovich was a spy, he thought an agreement could be reached on that with the US, without offering specifics.
“Certain terms are being discussed via special services channels,” Putin said.
Ep. 73 The Vladimir Putin Interview pic.twitter.com/67YuZRkfLL
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) February 8, 2024
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Comments (12)
As an American I am ashamed that a stupid fucking idiot like PREALI does not understand and value freedom of speech. What the fuck happened to the United States?
As an American I feel Tucker Carlson is a disgrace and an affront to democratic loving peoples. His passport should be revoked so he can see how it is to live in Russia. "Slava Ukraini"!
Spot on Jack. They just don’t make journalists like Tucker anymore.
World class journalism by Tucker Carlson. Too bad fox, cnn, bbc, etc are mouthpieces for the deep state.
Carlson had to be surgically removed from Putin's colon
John Moretti is a left wing commentator who has distorted the interview to make Carleton look bad. It is clear that he despises him in this self-serving and very poor amateurish narrative.
The biggest problem for the Russians at this moment is the fight against apartheid. The fact that nobody can defeat the system but the president himself makes it even worse.
Oekraïne should write more about the legal issues of their contracts with Oekraïne or what they consider to be the plan. To avoid the meganisms of the twin. To slice the contract in parts and walk right trow it as a horse in peaces. This Will open up Poetins prison of presidential candidates. And make it possible to escape the routine of the twin.
Carlson’s audience will take Putin at his word, and Carlson knows that. This was nothing more than propaganda. Maybe next he will go to China, and Xi can tell him why he HAS to invade Taiwan.
Putler: "I will never invade Ukraine, they are our slavic brothers", Carlson:"Yep, yep, yep".... Putler:"Progozhin was my friend, of course I'm saddenned by the wind falling off his private jet", Carlson: "Yep, yep, yep", and of course the war (sorry SMO) would have been over before it started if it wasn't for Boris (not Yeltsin, the other one), Carlson:"yep, yep, yep"...
MAGAs: "yep, yep, yep... go team Trumpler"
There was a good reason why Rupert Murdock fired Tucker from Fox. Tucker presents himself as massaiah for morons. He does a very good job. Most Americans are well aware that he is in bed with enemy country like Trump.
Backsided friends. Carlson the idiot outfoxed putler. Showbiz . The world already knows putler is finished.
Errors in the article:
"Putin instructed the media consultant to former US president Donald Trump..."
False info: Tucker Carlson has never been a media consultant to Trump.
Also the line "who (Tucker) has historically strong ties with the Kremlin.... "
Tucker has no ties, let alone "historic" ones with the Kremlin....
He is an American, who is tired of US Tax dollars going overseas while much needs to be done in the US. He is not against the people of Ukraine.
@Vince Sanderson, the author has lost the plot and demonstrates his ignorance with this pointless article.