Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson is creating excitement in Moscow, with people wondering if he will get the first Western interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid the Ukraine conflict, according to Reuters.
Speculation about Tucker Carlson interview with Putin during his Moscow trip, Tucker says “We’ll see”
Carlson, touched down in Moscow last Saturday, as reported by Izvestia newspaper. In a video published on their site, Carlson expressed his interest in getting to know the city and its people better. When asked about the possibility of interviewing Putin, he kept it vague, responding with a “We’ll see.”
Tucker Carlson spotted again in Moscow. He tells an Izvestia reporter he had read lots about Russia, so he "wanted to talk to people, look around, and see how it's doing… and it's doing very well."
Asked if he'll interview Putin, he says: "We'll see." https://t.co/BFclhvwXm1 pic.twitter.com/WmWzXi5DdO
— max seddon (@maxseddon) February 5, 2024
“It is beautiful,” the TV personality said of Moscow in an interview aired by the Izvestia. “I just wanted to see it because, you know, I have read so much about it but I have never seen it before.”
On Monday, Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, refrained from commenting on the matter during a conference call with reporters, as per the state-run Tass news service. Peskov stated that the Kremlin would notify them if an interview were to be arranged, according to Bloomberg.
“Many foreign journalists come to Russia every day, many continue to work here, and we welcome this,” Peskov said. “We have nothing to announce in terms of the president’s interviews to foreign media.”
Since parting ways with Fox last year, the prominent American media personality has utilized the X social platform to share his interviews and opinions. Although he hasn’t posted anything regarding his trip to Russia on social media.
Russian media, however, did capture images of Carlson attending a performance of the ballet Spartacus at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater.
Before the conflict in Ukraine, Putin sometimes granted interviews to foreign journalists. However, his engagement with the international press significantly declined following the invasion, which led to his isolation and condemnation in the Western world.
Tucker Carlson's car leaving the Russian Presidential Administration. pic.twitter.com/FjaCP8NsQd
— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) February 5, 2024
Carlson’s statements and pro-Putin stance
Using his influential media platform, Tucker Carlson has raised doubts about US backing for Ukraine, offered defenses of the Kremlin, and expressed support for Donald Trump. Clips from his interviews are often aired on state-run Russian television. Trump, who is aiming for reelection in November, has mentioned considering Carlson as a potential running mate.
Although Tucker Carlson’s motives for his trip to Moscow are not explicitly stated, his visit has stirred differing views among US politicians.
Far-right Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene voiced support for the idea of an interview. “We have a free press in this country and its people like Tucker Carlson who we depend on to speak the truth,” she wrote on X.
On his shows aired on Fox News and X, Tucker Carlson has referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as a “dictator” and made derogatory remarks likening him to a “sweaty and rat-like” figure. He has even stated that he was “rooting for Moscow.”
His pro-Putin and anti-Ukrainian rhetoric has gained praise in Moscow, where his clips have become a regular feature on Russian state television. Local propagandists use these clips as evidence that influential figures in the US are supportive of Putin’s military actions.
Recently, Carlson claimed that he had attempted to secure an interview with the Russian president in the past but was “prevented” by the US government.
