According to reports, Tucker Carlson, a former host at Fox News and a US journalist, has announced on February 6th, 2024, that he will be conducting an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin has now confirmed that this interview has indeed taken place. As stated by the Russian media outlet Mash, Carlson has departed from Russia following the completion of the interview. What makes this situation intriguing is that he is the sole American journalist, amidst the backdrop of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, to have been granted the opportunity to meet with Putin for an interview.
“When it comes to the countries of the collective West, the large network media, TV channels, (and) large newspapers can in no way boast of even trying to at least look impartial in terms of coverage,” Dmitry Peskov, Russian Spokesperson said.
Dmitry Peskov said Putin had agreed to the Carlson interview because the approach of the former Fox News host differed from the “one-sided” reporting of the Ukraine conflict by many Western news outlets.
“We are not here because we love Vladimir Putin….We are not encouraging you to agree with what Putin may say in this interview, but we are urging you to watch it. You should know as much as you can,” Tucker Carlson said.
The interview may be aired on Thursday, 08th Feb 2024.
Who is Tucker Carlson?
American political writer and commentator Tucker Carlson rose to prominence as the former host of Fox News’ political talk program “Tucker Carlson Tonight.” After leaving Fox News, he is currently the host of the Tucker show on X. It has been said of Carlson that he is a proponent of former President Donald Trump. Interestingly, he has previously downplayed the importance of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and urged Americans to ask themselves “Why do I hate Putin?”
For Context- Russian President ordered his forces to invade Ukraine on 22nd Feb 2022 and termed it as “Special Military Operation”. The Conflict is still going on. Russia has encountered heavy international criticism. NATO and European Nations are supporting Ukraine with weapons and aids. The United States has been supporting Ukraine in resolute manner despite strong political opposition from a significant block of House Republicans.
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