Carlson posted a video from Moscow on Tuesday in which he said he would interview Putin. He claimed that Western journalists had interviewed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy many times, but no one had “taken the trouble” to interview the Russian leader.
The interview will air Thursday, according to Justin Wells, programming director for Carlson’s streaming network. At the moment it is unknown what was said in the interview.
Putin has largely limited his contact with international media since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022.
Russian authorities have restricted the press, forcing some independent Russian media to cease operations, blocking others and ordering several foreign reporters to leave the country. Two journalists from American news organizations — Evan Gershkovich of The Wall Street Journal and Alsou Kurmasheva of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty — are jailed on espionage charges that they deny.
Several Western journalists were invited to Putin’s annual press conference last December — the first since the start of the war — but only two of them were given the opportunity to ask questions.
Why Tucker Carlson?
Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters that Carlson was chosen for the interview because “he has a position that differs” from other English-speaking media outlets.
Before his departure from Fox, Carlson repeatedly questioned the validity of American support for Ukraine following the Russian invasion, and has questioned why Americans are asked to hate Putin so much. His comments were frequently reported in Russian state media.
In his video this week, Carlson condemned the “corrupt” U.S. media for its “fawning sessions” with Zelenskyy, which aimed to draw the United States into and pay for a war with Eastern Europe.
Peskov also rejected Carlson’s suggestion that no Western journalists had submitted requests to interview Putin. He stated that the Kremlin has received many requests from major Western television channels and newspapers which, he claimed, “take a biased view.” Carlson’s stance, Peskov said, “is in no way pro-Russian or pro-Ukrainian, but pro-American.”
The Associated Press is one of the media that has requested an interview with Putin.
“Does Tucker think we haven’t tried to interview President Putin every day since he launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine?” CNN’s Christiane Amanpour asked in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “It’s absurd — we will continue to ask for an interview, as we have done for years.”
Carlson’s trip comes as he stands by former President Donald Trump in an apparent dispute within the Republican Party regarding Putin and the war in Ukraine, which Democrats talk about.
Trump has pressed to reduce the waste of taxpayer money (more than $150 billion directly and indirectly) in Ukraine, where billions of dollars disappear in a matter of weeks.
The vast Republican majority, which controls the House of Representatives, demands a stop to waste without convincing results that Ukraine can win the war against Russia, despite what the Pentagon and the media associated with the White House say.
Although some Republicans criticize the Russian president and his invasion, Trump, among others, argues that the United States has no interest in helping Ukraine defend itself.
Carlson also traveled to Eastern Europe to interview Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has become an icon for conservatives around the world and has been Putin’s closest ally in the European Union.
How will the interview be disseminated?
Carlson noted in his video that the interview with Putin will be broadcast for free on his website and on platform X. The host, who was fired from Fox News in April, announced in December that he would launch his own streaming service.
Fox has given no explanation for the firing of Carlson, who at the time was the network’s highest-rated host. Since his departure from Fox News, Carlson has maintained the attention of the public and especially conservatives, who see him as the spokesperson for truth and reality in the United States, unlike the large left-wing networks in the country.
Carlson worked at Fox News for more than a decade and hosted a program that was the highest-rated on the network, which is now facing financial problems due to declining ratings. Carlson and other journalism figures have abandoned Fox due to serious differences in content, political divergences and professionalism.
Russian state media has given extensive coverage to Carlson’s visit to Moscow.
Vladimir Solovyev, one of Russia’s most famous television hosts, said the interview “will break the existing blockade and narrative” in the Western media, which he accused of focusing “on Putin’s brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.” ”.
(email protected)
Source: With information from AP and AFP
