- Carlson avoids hard questions
- Putin dominates interview
- Misinformation on Ukraine invasion
Vladimir Putin delivered lectures, cracked jokes, and hissed on occasion, but never at his host.
Tucker Carlson chuckled, listened, and continued to listen.
A few times throughout the much-anticipated encounter between the American and the Russian president, his fixed, enthralled expression shifted.
Putin’s pledge of a thirty-second history lesson devolved into a thirty-plus minute tirade.
Carlson, nevertheless, appeared to absorb the majority of what the president of Russia told him.
Putin was in complete control of this encounter, and his interviewee had little opportunity to speak for substantial portions of it.
Instead of challenging the deceptive assertions made by the Russian leader, who has been indicted as a suspected war criminal, regarding his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Carlson deviated from the topic at hand to discuss God and the soul of Russia.
Eva Gershkovich, a journalist
The American hailed his meeting with Putin as a victory for free speech, claiming he was venturing into territory where no Western news organization dared to go.
That is not correct. Simply put, the Kremlin is extremely discerning regarding who Vladimir Putin communicates with. It will almost invariably select an individual who lacks knowledge of the country or the language, making it exceedingly difficult to challenge them.
Furthermore, Carlson’s assertion disregarded the fact that the incumbent president of Russia has systematically suppressed domestic free speech for the past two decades.
Recently, he criminalized any information that revealed the truth regarding Russia’s complete invasion of Ukraine.
Several detractors, including Vladimir Kara-Murza, Ilya Yashin, and numerous others, are currently incarcerated for precisely that.
Two hours into his interview, the former Fox News anchor inquired regarding American journalist Evan Gershkovich. He was detained and charged with espionage in Russia while performing his duties last year.
Carlson hypothesized that Vladimir Putin might grant the reporter custody in exchange for a memento to commemorate his journey back to Russia.
Putin’s statement was the most explicit indication to date of his own intentions.
As he discussed a Russian “patriot” who had “eliminated a bandit” in a European capital, he appeared to validate earlier rumors that Russia is pressuring Vadim Krasikov for a prisoner transfer.
In 2019, an accused Russian intelligence agent was responsible for the fatal shooting of a Chechen separatist in a park in Berlin.
Putin asserted that “an agreement could be reached” throughout the ongoing negotiations.
We are already aware that these intricate negotiations are not novel; they involve at least two American prisoners and three countries.
History of Russia seminars
The entire Kremlin encounter commenced with a history lecture.
A lengthy essay authored by Putin prior to the conflict refuted the existence of Ukraine as a sovereign state. It now seems as though he has learned it by heart.
His eyes were filled with conviction as he presented his thesis, whereas Carlson’s were filled with apathy and disbelief.
The recompense for those who remained tuned in for any length of time was a rerun of Putin’s most twisted and brilliant arguments.
His recurring complaint concerned the eastward expansion of NATO into territory that Russia considers to be within its sphere of influence. “We never agreed that Ukraine could join NATO,” stated Putin.
However, the fact that Russia is an aggressive and unpredictable neighbor has prompted Ukraine to seek additional security.
Putin has consistently misrepresented the massive public demonstrations that occurred in Kyiv a decade ago, as an instance of a “coup” supported by the West.
Additionally, he referred to the conflict in the eastern Donbas, which Moscow incited, as a civil war.
Putin used this as justification for his nearly two-year-old full-scale invasion, in addition to his assertion that “de-Nazifying” Ukraine is an ongoing process.
Kyiv vigorously contests each and every word of it.
Putin stated, “Relations between the two peoples will be reestablished at one point.” “They will recover.”
Numerous Ukrainians I’ve encountered, however, spoke Russian prior to the invasion and traveled there frequently.
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They have uttered nothing but hatred since the unprovoked combat and missile attacks of the past two years. They have shifted their stance in large numbers.
This serves as a singular illustration of the considerable distance that Vladimir Putin maintains from reality and factual information. Similar to how, in February 2022, he dispatched Russian troops charging toward Kiev in the belief that they would be greeted as liberators.