Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson is in Moscow for his first interview with President Vladimir Putin since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began nearly two years ago.
President Vladimir Putin delivered a harsh verdict in an interview with right-wing TV host Tucker Carlson, claiming he was surprised there were no “sharp questions”.
The former Fox News host traveled to Moscow to conduct his first interview with President Putin since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began nearly two years ago.
But in the two-hour interview, which was released last Thursday and made headlines around the world, Putin was less than impressed with Karlsson’s questions.
He told Russian TV host Pavel Zaurbin on Wednesday that he wanted the host to be more “aggressive.”
“To be honest, I expected him to act aggressively and ask so-called pointed questions,” Putin said, adding, “I have not only been preparing for this, but also I wanted that, because it would give me the opportunity to answer the same way.” . ”
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For more than two hours, Putin peppered Karlsson with Russian history and Kremlin talking points, with little retort.
President Putin said the February 2022 full-scale invasion, which Kiev and its allies have called an unprovoked act of aggression, was aimed at protecting Russia’s interests and preventing Ukraine from posing a threat to Russia by joining NATO. He repeated his claim.
The former host gave Putin long monologues about history, sometimes saying little in interviews, but the leader noticed.
Showing confidence and ease, he took occasional friendly jabs at Karlsson, who looked bemused and tried to interject questions into his history lecture, but the 71-year-old Russian leader stayed on topic for more than 20 minutes. I stayed.
“He tried to interrupt me several times, but surprisingly for a Western journalist, he still remained patient and listened to my long dialogue, especially regarding history,” Putin said. Ta. But even though he let him speak, it was a disappointment for Putin. “To be honest, I didn’t really enjoy that interview,” he said with a laugh.
Karlsson did not question Putin about the war crimes the Russian military has been accused of in Ukraine or about Putin’s relentless crackdown on the opposition.
President Putin, who has called Ukraine a “satellite” of the United States, said it was up to the United States to cut off its weapons supplies and persuade Kiev to negotiate, saying a deal was the way to end the war.
“We have never refused negotiations,” Putin said. He said: “We should tell the current leadership of Ukraine to stop and come to the negotiating table.”
President Putin says the West will not succeed in inflicting a “strategic defeat” on Russia in Ukraine, saying Russia is hiding plans to attack Poland and other NATO countries. He denied the allegations.
Karlsson did not respond to requests for comment, but continued to praise the quality of Moscow’s metro system. “It’s much cleaner and safer than any other city in the United States, and the architecture, food and service are all beautiful and beautiful,” he said.