Former FOX News host tucker carlson Remained calm throughout the two-hour interview with the Russian president Vladimir Putin, One of the only real points of tension came when he confronted Putin about his Russian detention. wall street journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
In December, the State Department announced that Russia had rejected a proposal to release Mr. Gershkovitch and the former U.S. Marine. Paul Whelan It is unclear what Russia received in return. But without going into details, Putin told Karlsson one of the bargaining chips the United States could use to negotiate a deal with Gershkovych. Vadim Krasikov A Russian agent is serving a life sentence in Germany for assassinating a Georgian citizen who fought against Russian troops in the Second Chechen War in 2019.
“[Russia is] We are ready to resolve it, but certain conditions are being discussed among the intelligence services,” Putin said of Gershkovych, who was arrested last spring on suspected espionage charges. “I believe we can reach an agreement.” He went on to say that Russia would continue to negotiate with the United States but in private, adding: “The more things of this nature are made public, the more becomes even more difficult. We must handle everything calmly.”
Putin also repeated the baseless claim that Gershkovych was “caught red-handed while secretly obtaining classified information.”with Gershkovitch journal The reporter denied any wrongdoing, saying he was simply doing his job. “We are encouraged by Russia’s willingness to seek a deal to bring Mr. Evan home and hope this will lead to his swift release and return to his family and our newsroom.” journal said in a statement Friday. “Evan is a journalist and journalism is not a crime. Any portrayal to the contrary is pure fiction. Evan was wrongfully arrested and unjustly detained by Russia for nearly a year in the performance of his duties, and we believe that his We continue to demand his immediate release.”
Karlsson’s interview, published in X on Thursday, was the first that Putin has granted to Western media members since the invasion of Ukraine two years ago. The Russian president repeated many of his frequently made points about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including a tortuous lesson in Slavic history to justify a war of conquest, but with little newsworthiness. The Kremlin likely agreed to the deal because Carlson is one of the most vocal supporters of Russia and opponents of Ukraine in the United States.
Putin spoke of his pleasant “personal relationship” with Karlsson. donald trump And he reiterated Republican criticism of the Biden administration. “[Ukraine is] Thousands of miles away from your country’s territory. Isn’t there something better? ” President Putin said. “We have problems at the border. We have immigration problems, we have national debt problems. Over 33 trillion dollars…Wouldn’t it be better to negotiate with Russia? Make a deal?” Of course, in President Putin’s mind, peace is a problem. A deal would allow Russia to keep parts of Ukraine it currently occupies, including the strategically important Crimea Peninsula.
In a coda shared on his website after the interview aired, Carlson seemed unsure of the quality of the interview. He even criticized the guest in the end. It was a conveniently empty attitude considering they were no longer in the same room. “Putin is not a person who does a lot of interviews. He is not good at explaining himself,” Karlsson pointed out. “He obviously spends a lot of time in a world where he doesn’t have to explain himself.”