'Surprised' Putin delivers savage verdict on Tucker Carlson after interview
Vladimir Putin delivered a savage verdict on his interview with rightwing television host Tucker Carlson - claiming he was surprised by the lack of “sharp questions”.
The former Fox News presenter visited Moscow to conduct the first interview with Putin since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago.
However, in the two-hour interview, which made headlines around the world after being released last Thursday, Putin was less than impressed with Carlson's questioning.
He told Russian TV presenter, Pavel Zaurbin, on Wednesday he wanted the host to behave more "aggressively":
“To be honest, I thought that he would behave aggressively and ask so-called sharp questions", Putin remarked. "I was not just prepared for this, I wanted it, because it would give me the opportunity to respond in the same way."
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Tucker Carlson's interview was slammed by Putin (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)For more than two hours, a largely unchallenged Putin showered Carlson with Russian history and Kremlin talking points.
Putin repeated his claim the full-scale invasion in February 2022 — which Kyiv and its allies describe as an unprovoked act of aggression — was to protect Russian interests and prevent Ukraine from posing a threat to Russia by joining NATO.
The former host barely spoke at times in the interview as he let Putin deliver lengthy monologues about history, which the leader noticed.
Appearing confident and at ease, he made occasional friendly jabs at Carlson, who appeared baffled by the history lecture and tried to interject questions, but the 71-year-old Russian leader stayed on topic for over 20 minutes.
Putin faced softball questions by Carlson (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)“He tried to interrupt me several times, but still, surprisingly for a Western journalist, he turned out to be patient and listened to my long dialogues, especially those related to history,” Putin said. However, despite letting him speak, it was a disappointment for Putin. “Honestly speaking, I did not fully enjoy that interview,” he said with a laugh
Carlson didn’t ask Putin about war crimes Russian troops have been accused of in Ukraine, or about his relentless crackdown on dissent.
Putin said it’s up to Washington to stop supplying weapons to Ukraine, which he called a U.S. “satellite,” and persuade Kyiv to negotiate, saying a deal was the way to end the war.
“We have never refused negotiations,” Putin said. “You should tell the current Ukrainian leadership to stop and come to a negotiating table.”
Putin said the West won’t succeed in inflicting a “strategic defeat” on Russia in Ukraine and rejected allegations that Moscow harbors plans to attack Poland or other NATO countries.
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Carlson has not responded to the comments but went on to praise the quality of Moscow's subway system. “It is so much cleaner and safer and prettier aesthetically, its architecture, its food, its service, than any city in the United States,” he said.
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