Russian President Vladimir Putin gave an interview to Tucker Carlson – a well-known propagator of conspiracy theories and former Fox News journalist closely associated with Donald Trump. In a conversation used by Russian propaganda, Carlson asked Putin, among other things, whether he might imagine an attack on Poland, a NATO member. “Carlson provided a platform for Putin to spread his propaganda to a global audience with little or no scrutiny of his claims,” CNN said.
On Thursday, a more than two-hour interview was broadcast, which Russian leader Vladimir Putin gave to Tucker Carlson, an American commentator known for his pro-Russian and pro-Putin views.
For years, Carlson was the face of right-wing Fox News and a TV star. He has been repeatedly accused of spreading disinformation. Among other things, he defended fanatical supporters of Donald Trump who attacked the Capitol and pushed the narrative that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, in which Joe Biden won, for which Fox News must pay Dominion Voting Systems, the manufacturer of voting machines, nearly $800 million in compensation.
SEE ALSO: Fox News must pay for spreading lies regarding election fraud
Tucker Carlson greets Vladimir Putin SPUTNIK
The celebrity journalist famous for promoting conspiracy theories was fired from Fox News in 2023 following the station received many lawsuits for the disinformation he spread. Carlson, who following leaving television moved his “journalistic” activities to the Internet, systematically attacks free Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky and supporters of military aid for Kiev. He is an open supporter of Donald Trump and has also spoken favorably regarding Vladimir Putin many times.
No wonder the Russian dictator decided to meet him. This was the first interview the Russian leader gave to a Western media representative since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The conversation took place on Tuesday in Moscow and was immediately used by Kremlin propaganda.
Tucker Carlson and Władimir PutinGAVRIIL GRIGOROV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN
“Platform for spreading propaganda”
As CNN points out, during the more than two-hour conversation, Carlson refrained from asking uncomfortable questions and pointing out false, propaganda-filled statements by the Russian dictator, whose brutal war once morest Ukraine has probably led to the unnecessary deaths of over 100,000 people.
“Those who expected a sharp fight were certainly very disappointed with the long-winded and disorganized interview in which Tucker himself seemed lost at times,” CNN commented.
He adds that instead of pressing Putin on many important issues, such as accusations of Russian war crimes or the imprisonment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Carlson “gave the autocrat a free path to manipulate society and present his version of history.” As Putin delivered a sort of history lecture, Carlson listened with rapt attention and, at times, surprise on his face.
Tucker Carlson during an interview with Vladimir Putin PAP/EPA/GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL
“Carlson provided a platform for Putin to spread his propaganda to a global audience with little or no scrutiny of his claims,” CNN said.
He points out that the interviewer did not react even when Vladimir Putin put forward an absurd conspiracy theory according to which the US government is not controlled by democratically elected leaders, but by mysterious “forces within the Central Intelligence Agency that control the president from the shadows like a puppet.”
– You said twice that US presidents make decisions and then are sabotaged by the heads of their agencies, Carlson said, summing up the Russian leader’s false narrative. – It sounds as if you are describing a system in which people elected by the people are not in power – he added. – That’s true – said Putin.
Carlson never once questioned his interlocutor’s absurd statements, CNN notes.
Question regarding the war with NATO and Poland
During the interview, the issue of Russia’s potential aggression once morest the North Atlantic Alliance was also raised.
Western analysts often recall that before February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin also assured that Russia would not attack Ukraine.
Putin also argued in the interview that Russia would not lose the war in Ukraine. – It will never happen. It seems to me that now those in power in the West are aware of this, he said.
Putin: Russia will not lose to Ukraine GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN
Carlson’s “gentle” pressure and “disgraceful” comment
CNN points to one moment in which Carlson “gently pressured” Putin. At the end of the interview, the American asked the Kremlin host if he would be ready to release Evan Gershkovich, a journalist of “The Wall Street Journal”, detained in Russia on espionage charges.
“He didn’t break it. Carlson knows it. Evan is a law-abiding, decent reporter, held hostage to gain geopolitical influence. He should be released immediately,” the journalist wrote on the X website.
American journalist Evan Gershkovich is accused by the Russian authorities of espionage Reuters Archive
After the interview, the daily published a statement. “Evan is a journalist and journalism is not a crime. Any portrayal to the contrary is complete fiction,” the newspaper said. “Evan was unjustly arrested and has been illegally detained by Russia for almost a year for doing his job, which is why we continue to demand his immediate release,” the editorial office appealed.
Tucker Carlson, Władimir PutinGAVRIIL GRIGOROV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN
Vladimir Putin’s “huge victory”.
According to CNN, the interview was a “huge propaganda victory for Putin,” which he will certainly use for his own purposes.
The Russian propaganda machine reacted quickly. Information regarding the interview landed on the front page of the website of the Russian news agency TASS, which devoted an entire section of its website to a special report on Carlson’s conversation with Putin.
“The interview with Vladimir Putin received over 20 million views within the first two hours of broadcast,” exclaimed the Russian pro-Kremlin station RT.
The Kremlin previously said Putin agreed to an interview with Carlson because the former right-wing Fox News commentator’s approach differed from what he considered “one-sided” coverage of the war in Ukraine in many Western news outlets.
Western media, following Carlson’s information that he would talk to Putin, have emphasized in recent days that over the last two years they have made numerous attempts to arrange an interview with the Russian dictator, but he always refused.
SEE ALSO: Hołownia: Mr. Carlson played the role of a useful idiot. Kosiniak-Kamysz: nothing can lull our vigilance
Main photo credit: GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN
