Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson has sparked controversy and criticism after he interviewed Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Carlson, who now broadcasts on X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, claimed that he was the first Western journalist to interview Putin since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He also accused other Western media outlets of being biased and pro-Ukrainian, and said he wanted to hear Putin’s side of the story.
However, Carlson’s claim was quickly debunked by the Kremlin itself, which said that it had received many requests from Western journalists to interview Putin, and that Carlson was not the first one to do so.
“Mr. Carlson is not correct. In fact, there’s no way he could know this. We receive numerous requests for interviews with the president,” Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.
Peskov also said that Carlson was chosen for the interview because he had a different position from other Western media, which he described as “one-sided”. Peskov said that Carlson’s position was "in no way pro-Russian, nor pro-Ukrainian, but rather pro-American".
Carlson’s interview with Putin, which he said would be posted “uncensored” on his website and on X, has not yet been released to the public. However, some details of the conversation have been leaked by Russian media, which portrayed Carlson as a celebrity "who speaks the truth".
According to Russian media reports, Carlson and Putin discussed the Ukraine war, the US-Russia relations, the Covid-19 pandemic, the climate change, and the 2020 US presidential election, among other topics. Carlson reportedly asked Putin about his health, his hobbies, and his family, and praised him for his leadership and charisma.
Carlson’s interview with Putin has also drawn condemnation and outrage from European lawmakers, who accused him of being a propaganda tool for the Russian leader, and called for sanctions against him.
Guy Verhofstadt, a former Belgian Prime Minister and current member of the European Parliament, told Newsweek that Carlson should be targeted by the EU for assisting Putin, whom he called a "war criminal".
“As Putin is a war criminal and the EU sanctions all who assist him in that effort, it seems logical that the External Action Service examine his case as well,” Verhofstadt said.
JUST IN: The European Union is considering imposing a travel ban against Tucker Carlson for interviewing Putin.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 7, 2024
EU lawmakers are now furious that a journalist flew to Russia to do journalism.
They now want to slap Tucker with sanctions for “assisting” Putin.
“Putin is a war… pic.twitter.com/jUjEody4vp
Verhofstadt also said that Carlson’s interview with Putin was an insult to the thousands of Ukrainians who have died or suffered in the war, and to the journalists who have been jailed or expelled by the Russian regime.
Carlson has not responded to the criticism or the fact-checks, and has not announced when he will release his interview with Putin. He has also not commented on the possibility of facing sanctions or travel bans from the EU or other countries.
