By the end of the conversation, it was clear that Putin had no intention of ending the brutal war against Ukraine. But Mr. Carlson, who was fired from Fox last year, seemed ready to capitulate. President Putin offered to continue speaking. Carlson, clearly exhausted by the Russian leader's lengthy conspiracy theories and complaints about the West, thanked him and called it quits. It is far from the media coup he was promoting.
Analysts say Putin's choice to meet with Karlsson was partly out of sympathy (the former Fox host has repeatedly denied criticizing Putin over the years) and partly due to the election year. based on the opportunity to appeal to the Republican Party's larger MAGA demographic. That could boost Donald Trump's re-election chances and convince Republicans to continue blocking U.S. military aid to Ukraine.
Carlson spent most of the interview either silent or with a confused look on his face.
No questions were asked about Russian attacks on civilian areas and critical infrastructure in Ukraine that have killed thousands of people. There was no mention of the war crimes allegations facing Russian leaders or the forced deportation of Ukrainian children. There were also no questions about Russia's widespread political crackdown on Putin's critics or the long prison sentences for ordinary Russians who engage in anti-war protests.
Instead, Carlson asks increasingly difficult questions, such as whether world leaders can be true Christians, and at times incites Putin to allege an American deep state or promotes other conspiracy theories. It looked like he was doing something.
The moment Carlson tried to intervene, he was reprimanded by the president.
“I'm telling you, I'm willing to do that. This briefing is coming to an end. It may be boring, but it explains a lot,” Putin said in a condescending tone. Ta.
“It's not boring. [I’m] I don't know how that's related,” Carlson said. President Putin responded that he was “satisfied” and appreciated it.
Putin's dominance in the interview with Karlsson was in stark contrast to the harsh rebuke the Russian leader received from Austrian newscaster Armin Wolff. Armin Wolff repeatedly challenged Karlsson in 2018, gaining acclaim by playing defensively.
Carlson himself seems to acknowledge the difficulty of interviewing the increasingly reclusive dictator, who has a 24-year history of dodging questions and dominating interviews.
Later, reflecting on the interview in a gilded waiting room in the Kremlin Palace, Carlson opened the interview by saying he was struck by the “very detailed history of Russia, which goes back to the 9th century.”
“I'm not really sure what I thought about the interview. … It's going to take a year to decide what it is,” Carlson said in a video published on his website. “Putin is not a person who does a lot of interviews. He's not good at explaining himself. … But he clearly spends a lot of time in a world where he doesn't have to explain himself.”
Carlson said he felt the Russian leader was “hurt” by the West's rejection, although he felt Putin had not presented his case consistently.
In a long and rambling interview, the Russian leader repeated his justifications for invading Ukraine, including the “denazification” of the country.
“If they consider themselves a separate people, they have the right to do so. But not based on Nazism or Nazi ideology,” Putin said, adding that Ukraine is a US satellite. He added that it is a country.
The president also claimed that Moscow had withdrawn its troops from Kiev in 2022 as part of the peace agreement. In April 2022, Kiev pushed back Russian forces that had invaded from the capital.
At one point, Putin sternly warned Western countries not to send their troops to fight in Ukraine, but later questioned why the United States would intervene in the conflict without addressing its own problems. And he said Washington should be willing to reach an agreement with Russia to end the war (ignoring the obvious fact that Kiev would not comply).
“If someone has the desire to send regular troops, it will definitely bring humanity to the brink of a very serious global conflict, this is clear,” Putin said.
“Does the United States need this? What for? Thousands of miles from your country's territory. Isn't there something better? We have problems at our borders. We have immigration problems, we have problems with our national debt. The problem. More than $33 trillion. Isn't there something better? So should we fight in Ukraine? Wouldn't it be better to negotiate with Russia? Shall we make a deal?
“We recognize that Russia will fight to the end for its interests,” Putin said, adding that such an agreement would be “a return to common sense.”
In his most direct comment on the incident, Putin said that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovych, who was detained on a reporting trip to Yekaterinburg last year, “worked for U.S. intelligence services.” He said he was arrested for this reason.
President Putin claimed that Gershkovych, who has been in prison since March last year after being charged with espionage, was “caught red-handed while obtaining top secret information.”
Mr. Gershkovic, the Wall Street Journal and the White House vehemently deny the accusations against him.
“Evan is a journalist, and journalism is not a crime. Any portrayal to the contrary is complete fiction,” the Journal said in a statement Thursday. “Evan was wrongfully arrested and wrongly detained by Russia for nearly a year in the performance of his duties. We continue to demand his immediate release.”
Late last year, the State Department announced that the Kremlin had rejected a “significant offer” for the release of Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine who is also imprisoned in Russia.
However, in an interview with Karlsson, Putin said he believed an exchange agreement was possible and wanted Gershkovych to return home, but that there were “many gestures of goodwill” and that Moscow “has run out of it.” '' he claimed.
