Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin posted an interview with Putin on his Telegram channel on the 14th. Commenting on a previous interview with former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson, Putin said he was surprised that Carlson did not ask enough pointed questions.
Mr. Putin said he thought Mr. Carlson would be aggressive, and he hoped so, because he would be able to answer with the same poignant.
Not only am I ready for this, but I want to do it, because it will give me an opportunity to respond in the same way, "Putin said.
He told Zarubin that he was surprised that Carlson didn't interject when he spoke.
"Frankly, I'm not very satisfied with this interview," Putin said.
The Kremlin has said that Putin agreed to be interviewed by Carlson because Carlson's approach is different from the "one-sided" coverage of the conflict in Ukraine as many Western news** do.
On February 8, Eastern time, Carlson's personal *** released a 2-hour and 7-minute interview with Putin**, which attracted much attention.
On February 8, 2024 local time, in Moscow, Russia, Tucker Carlson, the former host of Fox News in the United States and an independent **, conducted an exclusive interview with Russian Putin. Image from ic photo
On the same day, almost all the US media paid attention to the content of Carlson's interview with Putin, but the wording not only criticized Putin, but also was not satisfied with Carlson's performance.
The Washington Post wrote directly in the headline that "Putin barely interjected Carlson during lengthy interview" and called Putin's response "very arbitrary" on various issues. Bloomberg also said that for more than two hours, Carlson barely challenged Putin, because it was Putin who explained why he believes the United States and its allies are responsible for the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The New York Times believes that much of the interview is a "historical narrative" familiar to the Kremlin, and Putin is hardly prepared to say something that Americans want to hear.
Putin's complaint about Carlson's "too few acute questions" seems to be an indirect response to the above-mentioned criticism from the US media.
This is Putin's first interview with an American journalist since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Bloomberg said that Carlson was welcomed in Moscow, and the Washington Post quoted analysts as saying that Russia chose to accept Carlson's interview request for an interview with Putin based on his "sympathy".
According to the report, Carlson has repeatedly refuted some of the West's criticism of Putin, and he is also an influential conservative in the United States, whose influence can increase the likelihood of Trump entering the White House again, and use it to persuade Republicans to continue to block military aid to Ukraine.
And Carlson himself said on February 6 local time that he explained why he sought to interview Putin. He said the two-year Russia-Ukraine conflict has reshaped the military and economic balance of power around the world, and that "the post-World War II economic order, the economic system that the West has flourished for nearly 80 years, and the dominance of the dollar, are rapidly falling apart." These are not small changes, they are changing history. ”
Carlson said that most of the world is aware of this change, but most Americans are ignorant of it because the "corrupt **" of the United States does not tell the people the truth. He criticized that the United States deceived readers and viewers through "selective reporting", and conducted a large number of interviews with Zelensky in Ukraine, but never contacted Putin in Russia.
In addition, Carlson broke the news that Biden had twice tried to prevent him from interviewing Putin, the first time three years ago and the second time now. "About three years ago, Biden** illegally spied on our text messages and then leaked the contents to their minions in the news to block our plans to interview Putin. Last month, we were absolutely sure they did the same thing again, but we still made it to Moscow. ”
This article is an exclusive manuscript of the Observer.com, and it is not allowed to be unauthorized and shall not be allowed.