Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who now has a show on Social Network There is widespread speculation that this may be the case. President Vladimir V. Putin.
If so, Carlson would be the first U.S. media figure to give a formal interview with a Russian leader since the Russian leader invaded Ukraine nearly two years ago.
Putin's spokesman Dmitri Peskov said Putin was rejecting requests from new Western media outlets because the West was “appalled” by anti-Russian propaganda. . But Mr. Carlson has defended Mr. Putin while attacking his Western critics, and is at the forefront of the pro-Putin wing of the U.S. conservative movement.
Peskov said in a call with reporters on Monday: “Many foreign journalists visit the Russian Federation every day. Many continue to work here, and we welcome this.” He added: “On the possibility of interviews with the president, including with foreign media. “We have nothing to report at this time.”
On Monday, Russian media showed a black Mercedes van believed to be transporting Karlsson around Moscow entering and exiting the state building where Peskov's office is located.
On television and online, Russian state media treated Mr. Karlsson as a visiting celebrity, showing him in various locations, including arriving at the airport, dining at a restaurant, and watching the ballet “Spartacus” at the Bolshoi Theater. They streamed the photos and videos they had taken one after another. theater.
In one video that has been widely circulated, including by Told. Asked about a possible meeting with Putin, Karlsson shrugged his shoulders and said, “We'll see.”
Less than a year ago, Mr. Carlson became one of cable news's top stars as host of Fox News' “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” but he was accused of trafficking in white supremacist themes and conspiracy theories. The most well known.
Fox abruptly canceled the show last spring after a series of controversies on and off the air. Mr. Carlson hasn't received much attention from his new position on X, which started his own show last year.
As photos and videos of Karlsson in Moscow began circulating on social media over the weekend, fans became excited about the prospect of an interview soon. Carlson's critics also accused him of appeasing a dictator waging an illegal war. It is cracking down on dissent domestically.
News of his arrival in Russia received a decidedly warm reaction in Moscow. In reporting on local reactions to his visit, one woman told an interviewer on Russian state broadcaster Sputnik, “He is the bravest, bravest American journalist today,” and a man said, “He is a man who speaks the truth.” That's why he is often criticized in the United States.”
Mr. Carlson is a well-known face in this country. While Mr. Carlson was still at Fox, his commentaries were frequently featured on Russian state television, including one that called for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to wage a “regime change” war against Russia at the behest of the United States and Britain. It also included depictions of him as a “dictator'' who set in motion. Masters. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Its purpose was clear: to overthrow Zelenskiy's government.
When Carlson was canceled on Fox, Russian news outlets blamed it on his “fearless” reporting on Ukraine.
Mr. Carlson claimed without evidence that the U.S. government had thwarted previous attempts to interview Mr. Putin.
Mr. Carlson has promoted his show on X as a bastion of free speech.
Mr. Putin stepped up curbs on free speech in Russia during the Ukraine war. Domestic media were ordered to call this a “special military operation.” Journalists can face prison sentences if they call this an invasion.
Putin's government has detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich for nearly a year. The government accused him of espionage, a charge vehemently denied by Mr. Gershkovic, his newspaper, and the U.S. government, which said he was being unfairly detained.
