President Vladimir Putin’s interview with Tucker Carlson, a U.S. commentator who has made a reputation for himself by spreading conspiracy theories and has questioned Washington’s assist for Kyiv in its struggle in opposition to invading Russian troops, has been broadly criticized for giving the Russian chief a propaganda platform in his first interview with an American journalist since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine practically two years in the past.
Within the greater than two-hour interview, launched on Carlson’s web site early on February 9, Putin once more claimed Ukraine was a menace to Russia as a result of the West was drawing the nation into NATO — an assertion the navy alliance has known as false — whereas avoiding matters resembling his brutal crackdown at residence on civil society and free speech.
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The interview passed off as Putin hopes that Western assist for Kyiv will wane and morale amongst Ukrainians will flag to the purpose the place his battle goals are achievable. It additionally comes as U.S. navy assist for Kyiv is in query as Republican lawmakers block a $60 billion help package deal proposed by President Joe Biden, and a reshuffle of Ukraine’s dismissal of the highest commander of the armed forces after a counteroffensive fell far wanting its targets.
Putin urged the US to press Kyiv to cease preventing and minimize a cope with Russia, which occupies about one-fifth of Ukraine.
Carlson hardly ever challenged Putin, who gave a protracted and rambling lecture on the historical past of Russia and Ukraine, failing to carry up credible accusations from worldwide rights teams that Russia has dedicated battle crimes in Ukraine — Putin himself has been issued an arrest warrant by the Worldwide Prison Court docket for the illegal deportation and switch of youngsters in the course of the battle — or the imprisonment of opposition figures resembling Aleksei Navalny and Vladimir Kara-Murza on trumped up costs that seem politically motivated.
”Putin obtained his message out the best way he needed to,” stated Ian Bremmer, a New York-based political scientist and president of Eurasiagroup.
Even earlier than the assembly was printed, Carlson confronted criticism for interviewing Putin when his authorities is holding Wall Avenue Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich and one other U.S. journalist, Alsu Kurmasheva of RFE/RL, in jail on costs associated to their reporting that each vehemently deny.
Kurmasheva’s case was not even talked about within the interview, whereas Carlson angered the Wall Avenue Journal by suggesting that Putin ought to launch the 33-year-old journalist even when “possibly he was breaking your legislation in a roundabout way.”
The U.S. State Division has formally designated Gershkovich as wrongfully detained by Russia.
“Evan is a journalist and journalism shouldn’t be against the law. Any portrayal on the contrary is whole fiction,” the newspaper stated in response to the interview.
“Evan was unjustly arrested and has been wrongfully detained by Russia for practically a 12 months for doing his job, and we proceed to demand his speedy launch.”
Putin stated “an settlement might be reached” to free Gershkovich and appeared to counsel {that a} swap for a “patriotic” Russian nationwide at present serving out a life sentence for homicide in Germany — an obvious reference to Vadim Krasikov, a former colonel from Russia’s home spy group convicted of assassinating a former Chechen fighter in broad daylight in Berlin in 2019.
”There isn’t a taboo to settle this difficulty. We’re prepared to unravel it, however there are particular phrases being mentioned by way of particular providers channels. I imagine an settlement might be reached,” Putin instructed Carlson.
Carlson, a former Fox Information host, has made a reputation for himself by spreading conspiracy theories and has questioned U.S. assist for Ukraine in its struggle in opposition to invading Russian troops. The interview was Putin’s first with a Western media determine because the begin of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Putin stated in the course of the interview Russia has no real interest in invading NATO member Poland and will solely see one case the place he would: ”If Poland assaults Russia.”
”We now have no real interest in Poland, Latvia, or anyplace else. Why would we do this? We merely haven’t any curiosity. It is simply menace mongering. It’s completely out of the query,” he added.
Describing his resolution to interview Putin in an announcement posted on X on February 6, Carlson asserted that U.S. media shops focus fawningly on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy however that Putin’s voice shouldn’t be heard in the US as a result of Western journalists haven’t “bothered” to interview him because the full-scale invasion.
Carlson has gained a repute for defending the Russian chief, as soon as claiming that ”hating Putin has turn into the central function of America’s international coverage.”
Quite a few Western journalists rejected the declare, saying they’ve constantly sought to interview Putin however have been turned away. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later confirmed that, saying his workplace receives “quite a few requests for interviews with the president” however that many of the Western shops asking are “conventional TV channels and huge newspapers that don’t even try to seem neutral of their protection. In fact, there’s no need to speak with this type of media.”
Carlson’s credentials as an unbiased journalist have been questioned, and in 2020 Fox Information gained a defamation case in opposition to him, with the decide saying in her verdict that when presenting tales, Carlson shouldn’t be ”stating precise information” concerning the matters he discusses and is as an alternative participating in ”exaggeration” and ”’nonliteral commentary.”
Carlson was one in every of Fox Information’ top-rated hosts earlier than he abruptly left the community final 12 months after Fox settled a separate defamation lawsuit over its reporting of the 2020 presidential election. Fox agreed to pay $787 million to voting machine firm Dominion after the corporate filed a lawsuit alleging the community unfold false claims that its machines had been rigged in opposition to former President Donald Trump.
Carlson has had a rocky relationship at instances with the previous president, however throughout Trump’s presidency he had Carlson’s full backing and he has endorsed Trump in his 2024 run to regain the White Home.