Tucker Carlson announced he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the coming days, a move that drew both intense criticism and praise.
The interview, which will be available on YouTube and X, will be Putin’s first interview with Western media since before the invasion of Ukraine.
The question that has been reverberating on social media since Carlson granted the interview was simply: “Why?”
“There are risks in conducting interviews like this,” Carlson said in a video shot from a high-rise building in Russia’s parliament building. clearly – So we spent many months thinking carefully. ”
He went on to say he was “in the business” of journalism to inform the public, calling out Americans who “don’t have the information” but need to know more about the Russia-Ukraine war.
The US has allocated more than £60 billion in military aid to Ukraine since February 2022, something Carlson has criticized in the past.
Karlsson stressed that he paid for his own trip to Russia and also criticized other Western journalists who interviewed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy but not Putin.
He described the interview with Zelensky, whom Carlson has previously called a “dictator,” as a “sycophantic pep rally” for Ukraine to receive more military aid, adding: “That’s not journalism. It’s government propaganda,” he added.
In further controversial remarks, Carlson said: “Meanwhile, not a single Western journalist has bothered to interview Vladimir Putin.”
The claims infuriated other Western journalists who have been repeatedly denied access to Putin since the start of the war in Ukraine.
BBC Russia editor Steve Rosenberg said Carlson’s claims about Western journalists were “interesting” and posted: “We have submitted several requests to the Kremlin over the past 18 months.” For us, the answer is always “no”.
The Kremlin refuted Karlsson’s claims today, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling reporters: “We have received numerous requests for interviews with the president.”he [Tucker] be in a different position than others [of Western media].
“It’s not pro-Russian, it’s not pro-Ukrainian. It’s more pro-American.”
Peskov may be referring to Western news organizations such as the Wall Street Journal and Radio Free Europe. Reporters from these two companies were arrested in Russia for attempting to report on the war.
WSJ’s Evan Gershkovitch and RFE’s Ars Kurmasheva were working as journalists in Russia at the time of their illegal detention.
But despite Russia’s controversial history of granting freedom of the press, Carlson’s largely conservative followers say he will publish an “unedited” interview with President Putin. I applaud his decision.
Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene posted on X: “Democrats and media propagandists shudder at the prospect of Tucker Carlson interviewing President Putin…They hate it when someone like Tucker goes ‘off script.’
“We have a free press in this country, and it’s people like Tucker Carlson we rely on to tell the truth!”
Carlson’s critics share concerns that he will avoid asking real questions in high-profile interviews and instead become a mouthpiece for President Putin.
Earlier this week, Keir Giles, Russia and Eurasia program specialist at Chatham House, told Metro.co.uk: “If Tucker Carlson were to interview Vladimir Putin, he would not know which side he was on.” “It would have made it clear who is in the country, but that is not the case.” American.
After the interview was shared, Carlson said he hoped viewers would “be able to make their own decisions, like free citizens and not slaves.”
Mr. Karlsson would not be the first person to interview a leader as bloody as Mr. Putin, who has been directly involved in the murder, poisoning and imprisonment of many Russian critics and foreign journalists.
Patrick Fox, a foreign policy and military analyst at University College London, said of X:
Mike Wallace interviewed Noriega and Khomeini, and Barbara Walters interviewed Gaddafi and Castro.
“They’ve interviewed terrorists, dictators, and serial killers. Broadly speaking, they make headlines and are sensational, but they rarely have a lasting impact.
“This is not the ungoverned environment that Carlson alludes to. Putin is not afraid to imprison or kill journalists or anyone who openly and effectively challenges his actions and provokes anger. I have no hesitation whatsoever.
“Putin should have put conditional guardrails in place before agreeing to this interview. Some questions will not be asked, and some questions will only be asked in a certain way. What will be asked and what will not be asked. It will be interesting to see if there is, and how it will be asked.”
It remains unclear when exactly Karlsson and Putin’s interview will be broadcast.
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