Exclusive: Vladimir Putin Speaks to Tucker Carlson Amid Media Crackdown

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has given an interview to former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, according to the Kremlin, marking Putin’s first with Western media since the Ukraine invasion two years ago. Tucker Carlson claimed that Western journalists interviewed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy but passed on Putin. The interview is set to be released on Thursday.

Since the invasion, Putin has been limiting contact with international media, cracking down on both Russian and foreign journalists.

Some, like the Wall Street Journal’s Evan Gershkovich and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Alsu Kurmasheva, even face jail in Russia. Carlson, who often wondered about U.S. support for Ukraine, criticized American media, where they were at the highest request for war against Russia.

Aides to Putin made it clear that Carlson was invited, as his views are not similar to the English media’s other views. Carlson’s video was blaming the U.S. media’s propaganda against Russia. He met Putin during a GOP split over Ukraine, with former President Donald Trump lobbying to cut aid to Ukraine. 

The interview will circulate on Carlson’s new streaming service. Russian state media called Carlson’s visit an attempt to test the narrative of the Western media.