Tucker Carlson sat down with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday for an interview, a representative of the Kremlin said Wednesday
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the interview, which Carlson announced on Tuesday, was granted because Carlson’s position “contrasts the position of the traditional Anglo-Saxon media,” according to The New York Times.
The Wall Street Journal, citing sources it did not name, said the interview is expected to air Thursday.
“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,” Peskov said, according to Reuters.
“These are all media outlets that take an exceptionally one-sided position. Of course, there is no desire to communicate with such media, and it hardly makes sense, and it is unlikely that it will be useful,” he said.
Peskov said Carlson’s approach is “in no way pro-Russian, it is not pro-Ukrainian — it is pro-American.”
Peskov noted that Carlson made a mistake in a video posted to X on Tuesday in which Carlson defended his decision to interview Putin. Carlson said he was the only Western media individual trying to interview Putin.
Why I’m interviewing Vladimir Putin. pic.twitter.com/hqvXUZqvHX
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) February 6, 2024
Will you watch the interview?
“Mr. Carlson is not correct, but he couldn’t have known that. We receive a lot of requests for interviews with the president,” Peskov said, according to the Times.
The interview has stirred emotions in America and Europe.
He is a traitor. https://t.co/F4yK56vSun
— Adam Kinzinger (Slava Ukraini) 🇺🇸🇺🇦🇮🇱 (@AdamKinzinger) February 4, 2024
Democrats and their propagandists in the media are spasming at the prospect of Tucker Carlson interviewing Putin.
They feel entitled to the position of gatekeeper and believe they are the ones who tell you what to think and believe.
They HATE when someone like Tucker goes… pic.twitter.com/yKwm4Mz1iC
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) February 3, 2024
JUST IN: The European Union is considering imposing a travel ban against Tucker Carlson for interviewing Putin.
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
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 7, 2024
Guy Verhofstadt, a past prime minister of Belgium and member of the European Parliament, said the European Union might consider sanctions against Carlson, according to Newsweek.
“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,” he said.
Still, Luis Garicano, a former MEP called Carson “a propagandist for the most heinous regime on European soil and the one which is most dangerous to our peace and security.”
Urmas Paet, a former foreign minister of Estonia and an MEP, said, “It should be remembered that Putin is not just a president of an aggressor country, but he is wanted by the International Criminal Court and accused of genocide and war crimes.”
“Carlson wants to give a platform to someone accused of crimes of genocide — this is wrong. If Putin has something to say he needs to say it in front of the ICC. At the same time Carlson is not being a real journalist since he has clearly expressed his sympathy for the Russian regime and Putin and has constantly disparaged Ukraine, the victim of Russian aggression,” Paet said.
“So, for such propaganda for a criminal regime, you can end up on the list of sanctions. This concerns primarily travel ban to EU countries,” Paet said.
Polish MEP Witold Waszczykowski, a former foreign minister, said his focus is not on Carlson, but French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz who he referred to as “those European politicians who keep searching for how to appease Russia instead of helping Ukraine to win the war.”
