For the first time since the open invasion of Ukraine, Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin gave an interview to the controversial American journalist Tucker Carlson, who was kicked out of the Fox News channel last spring, aimed at Republican Party voters, with a bang. Carlson, who was previously considered an active supporter of ex-President Donald Trump, became the only Western journalist who was allowed to see Putin’s “body” for many reasons, including some “ideological affinity,” since both actively criticize modern democracies, insisting on the revival of the supposed "traditional values". Putin did not say anything new in the interview, repeating all the previous propaganda guidelines regarding Ukraine, our statehood, and the alleged reasons that “pushed” the Kremlin to open aggression. As before, Putin made it clear that he was open to negotiations, hinting that the United States would just “just take it” and stop helping Ukraine. Why the anticipation of the interview itself was more interesting than its content, how Tucker Carlson can be connected with the team of ex-President Donald Trump and whether he can act in its interests, read the material from Apostrophe.
Tucker Carlson earlier this week announced his arrival in Moscow with the intention of interviewing dictator Putin, planning to publish it on his X (formerly Twitter) account and on his website TuckerCarlson.com. The journalist, recording the announcement of the interview from the roof of a Moscow high-rise, launched into lengthy discussions about how he was supposedly fulfilling his professional duty by informing the American public, who supposedly “do not know” why US taxpayers are funding aid to Ukraine, that residents of English-speaking countries have been deceived.” corrupt media,” and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is allegedly supported by “state propaganda” of Western countries. And now Tucker Carlson has arrived in Moscow to find out the opinion of the “other side” in the person of Russian dictator Putin.
This was followed by false claims that supposedly Western media “did not dare” to request an interview with “the other side of the conflict” - Vladimir Putin, since the beginning of the open invasion. Immediately after these words, Carlson was bombarded with denials from leading American and European media, whose editors claimed that the Kremlin had been rejecting their requests for an interview with the bunker dictators for years, also recalling that Vladimir Putin is not particularly eager to discuss the topic with Russian journalists." “special military operation” – as the Kremlin cynically calls an open invasion of Ukraine.
Putin’s complimentary statements towards China, which American conservative circles and Donald Trump personally perceive negatively, can also be considered a blow to the bar. The right-wing public in the United States, which is interested in the “journalistic” activities of Tucker Carlson, clearly does not share the Kremlin’s reverence for the Middle Kingdom.
Putin also repeated his thesis that Ukrainians and Russians are one people, calling full-scale Russian aggression “an element of civil war.” After which the main thesis followed, for the sake of which the Kremlin agreed to allow Carlson to Putin’s body: the Kremlin dictator said that it was better for the United States to come to an agreement with Russia, since the Kremlin supposedly “will fight for its interests to the end.”
“Putin actually made it clear: stop financial and military support for Ukraine, abandon this onerous obligation, and in response Russia is ready to begin “negotiations” on a settlement. His statement carried not only a general call for a change in American foreign policy, but also a specific proposal to Donald Trump. If the Trumpists continue to block American financial assistance to Kiev, Putin hints to personally contribute to the achievement of “peace agreements” if Trump returns to the Oval Office in 2024. Trump, in turn, can use such “peace agreements” as proof of his effectiveness and decisiveness in the international arena, unlike Joe Biden, whose criticism is central to his campaign with slogans that Biden allegedly failed in his responsibilities and failed American policy, while Trump promises a quick and effective solution to the problems that have arisen," added Alexey Golobutsky.
As always, the Russian dictator presents “negotiations” only on his own terms, when Moscow, as previously happened, made symbolic concessions (the release of hostages or exchanges of prisoners), demanding specific geopolitical preferences. Since 2014, Putin and his entourage, imposing the “Minsk format” and other geopolitical cheating, like gopniks from the St. Petersburg gateway, hoped that their bluff would work and the Western “suckers” would swallow the poisonous bait. Judging by the nonsense that Putin instilled in Tucker, the Kremlin leader will continue to count on the naivety and cowardice of Western elites.
As a kind of “seed”, Putin hinted at the possibility of exchanging Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich, arrested for espionage, for FSB officer Vadim Krasikov, convicted of murder, emphasizing Russia’s openness to dialogue under certain conditions. Putin mentioned Krasikov as a person who acted for patriotic reasons. He also expressed readiness for negotiations with Western intelligence agencies to resolve the issue of exchange. At the same time, Putin accused Ukraine of refusing “negotiations.”
The American media paid close attention to this, noting that Carlson's interview with Putin could contribute to Trump's success and persuade Republicans to stop supporting Ukraine. Putin agreed to the interview out of sympathy for Carlson, who avoided criticism of him, and saw it as a chance to appeal to an influential part of the Republican Party electorate. Carlson expressed uncertainty about his perception of the interview, mentioning that Putin rarely explains his actions.
"Putin's interview with Tucker may be of interest to the Trump campaign or Trumpists in general, not because Putin can convey some message to them through an American journalist. There are already enough channels for transmitting information. Carlson is interesting to them because they have been looking at him since his time at Fox News a large part of the American “deep people” are oriented, among whom there are plenty of alt-rights, supporters of conspiracy theories. They sit in their social niches - “wormholes.” Now in front of the “wormholes” they have laid out some kind of bait in the form of an interview with Putin with an “alternative view.” for a war against Ukraine. All this is one of the elements of the political mobilization of the "deep people" in the interests of the Trump team, which constantly gives "ordinary Americans" reasons for dissatisfaction with the policies of Joe Biden," Vitaly, head of the Center for Research on Civil Society Problems, explained in a comment to Apostrophe Sandpiper.
As the editors of The Washington Post note, for both interlocutors the interview was an opportunity to achieve personal goals: for Putin - to justify the invasion of Ukraine, for Carlson - to increase popularity and promote his media project. Putin tried to portray Russia as a victim of NATO encirclement and CIA actions. However, the interview was unsuccessful: Putin went into a long historical excursion, trying to prove the Russian identity of Ukrainians, which irritated Carlson and is unlikely to interest his audience in the United States. Carlson did not address many controversial topics, including crimes in Ukraine and the persecution of the opposition in Russia.
President Joe Biden's administration was critical of the interview, calling it unnecessary and suggesting Putin would use it to spread false claims about the war in Ukraine.
A natural question arose: to what extent could Tucker’s interview with Putin be beneficial for Donald Trump? Previously, Carlson was considered an active supporter of the ex-president of the United States, and during the 2020 election campaign, which Trump ultimately lost, there were versions that Carlson then on Fox News so zealously defended the positions of the Republican candidate because if he won, he expected to receive " fat position" in the old-new Trump administration, but he lost the election. As a result, Carlson and other Trump supporters were so vocal in their criticism of election “rigging” that they faced a multimillion-dollar lawsuit from the campaign that makes the voting machines.
During the proceedings, materials from Carlson’s official correspondence with his colleagues were leaked to the public, in which he spoke negatively about Trump, saying that he “hates” the ex-president, but is forced to say completely different things on the air. As a result, Fox News lost the courts, and its owner, media mogul Rupert Murdoch, ran out of patience and decided to fire Carlson. Fox News management did not specify to what extent his dismissal was related to legal battles for false accusations of fraud, but since then Carlson and Trump have not communicated publicly anywhere.
“What kind of relationship they have now and whether Carlson expects to be promoted if Trump is re-elected is an open question. Previously, he was predicted to have a good position as a media manager, since Trump strives for manual control of the media, but now everything is not so clear. Especially in light of the disclosure details of how Carlson spoke harshly against Trump. The fact is that the ex-US president does not trust institutions, his entire political career was built on personal contacts. If personal relationships deteriorate, then the person simply ceases to be interesting to him or even becomes a tough opponent Yes, this is a somewhat infantile position, but this is Trump’s political style,” American expert Alexander Kraev tells Apostrophe.
After a controversial departure from Fox News in April 2023, Carlson began hosting a show on X, where he was seen spreading misinformation and Russian propaganda, including accusations against Ukraine and participation in Kremlin propaganda broadcasts, which led to him being compared to such Kremlin propagandists like Vladimir Solovyov. Carlson’s American colleagues, calling him a “journalist,” smile sarcastically, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, commenting on Carlson’s trip to Moscow for a rendezvous with Putin, called the former Fox News host a “useful idiot.” Apparently, this is the shortest and at the same time the most comprehensive description of Mr. Carlson’s activities.
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