Tucker Carlson’s infamous interview with Putin: “The US must stop arms deliveries to Ukraine” | Abroad

The Russian head of state speaks during the first half hour of it interview especially about what he believes are the historical reasons that led to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a war that Putin believes has not yet achieved its goals. To achieve this, the neighboring country must first be ‘denazified’, in the words of the president. In his ‘brief history lesson’, Putin tries to show that “Ukraine is an artificial state” and that it has “received large areas of land that never belonged to them, for example on the Black Sea”, referring to Crimea.

According to Putin, a Russian defeat in Ukraine is therefore “impossible”. According to the Russian president, the conflict could be resolved “within a few weeks” if the West stops arms deliveries to Ukraine and accepts the territory conquered by Russia as Russian territory.

According to Putin, Ukraine was on the verge of agreeing to a ceasefire agreement during the peace negotiations in Istanbul in April 2022, but “the country withdrew when Russian troops withdrew from the vicinity of Kiev.” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, among others, is said to have played a role in the Ukrainian withdrawal from the peace negotiations, according to Putin. According to Putin, Johnson discouraged Ukrainian President Zelensky from signing a peace agreement at an early stage of the conflict. “The fact that Ukraine is obeying the belief or demand of Mr. Johnson, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, seems ridiculous,” Putin said.

“Ukraine has thrown away all agreements and followed the instructions of Western countries, European countries and the United States, to fight Russia to the bitter end.” (…) “Now let them think about how they can turn the situation around. We’re not against it – it would be funny if it weren’t so sad. The endless mobilization in Ukraine, the hysteria, the domestic problems: sooner or later it will lead to an agreement,” Putin said.

Putin also talks about an “imaginary Russian threat” when questioned about concerns that the war in Ukraine could expand into a broader conflict. “They (NATO, ed.) are trying to intimidate their population with an imaginary Russian threat. Smart people understand perfectly that this is not real,” the Russian president said.

When asked, Putin said he has no intention of invading countries like Poland or Latvia. “We have no interests in Poland, Latvia or anywhere else. Why would we do that? We simply have no interest in it (…). It is out of the question,” replied the president, who can only imagine that Russian troops would be sent to Poland “when Poland attacks Russia.”

When asked whether he could call his American counterpart Joe Biden for a dialogue, Putin replied: “What is there to discuss? If you really want to stop fighting, you have to stop the arms shipments. Why would I call him, what would I talk to him about?” According to Putin, the Americans would therefore be better off negotiating with the Russians about Ukraine rather than continuing to supply weapons to Ukraine, “especially given the important domestic problems of the US” and the fact that “Russia will fight for its interests to the end.” ”

Putin did not fail to mention that he had a good relationship with the American (Republican) presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump, but that he cannot remember when he met the current (Democratic) American president, Joe Biden, for the war with Ukraine last spoke. According to Putin, Russia and the US are still talking to each other “through different bodies” about ending the conflict.

Putin also says he thinks a deal could possibly be reached on the release of American journalist Evan Gershkovich, who has been held in Russia for almost a year. “There is no taboo to settle this matter,” he said. At the end of January, a court in Moscow extended Gershkovich’s pre-trial detention for another two months, until March 30. The reporter for the ‘Wall Street Journal’ (WSJ) is accused of espionage. His lawyers reject the allegations and the US government calls the arrest unacceptable.

Finally, the blowing up of the gas pipelines of the Nord Stream project is also discussed. Putin joked that Carlson himself may be behind this, although he then indicated that the CIA has no alibi in any case. The atmosphere during the heavily orchestrated interview seemed relatively relaxed, with Putin making several jokes. For example, Putin laughed to Carlson’s first question: “Are we on a talk show or are we having a serious conversation?”, after which he treated Carlson to his history lesson.

LOOK. That’s how strong Zelensky is, according to Putin

The interview, which was published at midnight Belgian time, was already recorded on Tuesday. The interview video lasts more than two hours in total and Putin’s statements are dubbed into English. Carlson said he wanted to interview the Russian president because he believes the American viewing public does not sufficiently understand the Russian perspective on the war in Ukraine.

Carlson was fired from ‘Fox News’ in April 2023 because he increasingly shared conspiracy theories on his well-watched TV shows. He now hosts a show that airs on his website and on X, formerly Twitter. Carlson has repeatedly criticized U.S. support for Ukraine since the start of the war with Russia.

He traveled to Moscow for Putin’s first interview with a Western journalist since the Russian invasion of February 2022. The Kremlin said it previously withheld numerous requests for an interview with Putin because, according to Western media spokesman Dimitry Peskov, he “had a one-sided attitude.” ” came. According to the spokesperson, the interview was granted to Carlson because he “takes a different position than the traditional Anglo-Saxon media.”

Also read: PORTRAIT. Who is Tucker Carlson, the bully of an angry America and interviewer of Putin? (+)

LOOK. Who is Tucker Carlson, the fierce face of Fox News for years?