Tucker Carlson interviewed Putin on Tuesday: Kremlin
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Kremlin's spokesperson confirmed that US journalist Tucker Carlson interviewed Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, February 6, in Moscow.
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Tucker Carlson, former host of "Tucker Carlson Tonight," poses for photos in a Fox News Channel studio, March 2, 2017, in New York. (AP)
US journalist Tucker Carlson interviewed Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 6, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced on Wednesday.
"Yes, I can confirm this," Peskov told reporters when asked if Putin was interviewed on Tuesday.
The official dismissed the alleged transcript of Putin's interview with Carlson published online as an absolute fake.
The former Fox News host confirmed that he was in Moscow to interview Putin. He expressed his intention to broadcast his conversation with Russia's President as a response to what he characterized as pro-Ukraine "fawning pep sessions."
Speculation had been circulating for several days that Carlson, who was dismissed by Fox last year allegedly for "getting too big for his boots," had journeyed to the Russian capital to meet Putin. The journalist asserted that Putin's reasons for the military operation in Ukraine deserve to be heard by the American public.
However, his visit has sparked accusations that he is serving as a propaganda tool for Putin. Russian media, on the other hand, have celebrated Carlson as a celebrity who bravely speaks the truth.
'Witness the truth'
In a Tuesday afternoon post to X, Carlson framed the forthcoming interview as an opportunity for the American public to witness the truth behind the war in Ukraine, contrasting it with what he called a series of falsehoods propagated by Western media outlets.
Why I'm interviewing Vladimir Putin. pic.twitter.com/hqvXUZqvHX
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) February 6, 2024
In a four-minute video recorded in Moscow and previewing the interview, Carlson stated, "Most Americans have no idea why Putin invaded Ukraine or what his goals are now." He indicated that the full interview will be available on his website and will be posted "uncensored" by X's owner, Elon Musk, at a yet-to-be-specified time.
He said “You’ve never heard his voice. That’s wrong. Americans have a right to know all we can about a war they’re implicated in, and we have the right to tell them about it,” adding that Western governments will try to censor the video because "they are afraid of information they can't control."
Read next: How the West is 'quietly shifting' its Ukraine strategy: Politico
