On February 6th 2024, American journalist Tucker Carlson had the opportunity to interview Russia’s head of state Vladimir Putin, in a two hours long conversation in the Kremlin, the official residence of the President. This event captured the world’s attention, especially in the realm of international diplomacy and media discourse, sparking widespread interest and speculation and it took place against the backdrop of escalating tensions between Russia and the West, particularly the United States, providing a rare opportunity for viewers to gain insights into Putin's perspectives on various geopolitical issues directly.
Various topics were assessed, especially the ones regarding the relations between United States and Russia, covering topics such as diplomatic tensions, economic sanctions and military actions, specifically, insights into how both sides perceive each other's intentions and actions on the global stage and Russia’s claim to conquer Ukraine.
Putin’s historical insight
“Are we having a talk show or a conversation?” Putin quipped withinside the early mins of the interview, before handing over a 30-minutes historical soliloquy regarding Russia’s past and its long and shaky diplomatic relations with Ukraine.
Carlson, who didn't divert the Russian president’s fanciful records lesson, warned visitors, as an alternative: “Putin went on for a totally lengthy time, probably half of an hour, approximately the records of Russia going returned to the 8th century. And honestly, this concept turned into a filibustering method and determined it annoying.” in a gap announcement that answered his question about why Russia invaded Ukraine, even though, the former Fox News reporter softened straight away that blow, praising the president`s “encyclopedic knowledge”.
Putin’s commentary was built on his 2021 essay, “On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians,” that claimed Russians and Ukrainians are one people, and that the concept of Ukraine as a state was invented by the Bolsheviks. The President traced all Russian history to the ninth century and, in his view, southern Ukraine became part of the Russian Empire when Catherine II — known as Catherine the Great — abducted it from the Ottoman Empire.
His assertions made a very important claim — Russia has an effective legitimate right to occupy Ukraine.
The war isn’t stopping any time soon
The main message Putin sought to convey to Americans is that there’s no point helping Ukraine with more money and weapons. And Carlson, who has himself formerly puzzled U.S. assistance for Ukraine because it seeks to shield its human beings and its land withinside the face of Russia’s assault, become all too satisfied to help deliver that message.
“If you really want to stop fighting, you need to stop supplying weapons. It will be over within a few weeks. That’s it,” Putin claimed, adding that it was up to the U.S. to tell Ukraine to come to the negotiating table. But that’s not even the full story, as Putin kept on giving new explanations and answers regarding the hot matter.
First, asked whether or not Russia had completed its struggle fair aims, Putin said: “No. We haven’t achieved our aims yet because one of them is de-nazification.” The declare that Russia is searching for to “de-nazify” Ukraine is broadly visible as code for the elimination of the country’s democratically elected (Jewish) president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In a robust indication of what he intended via way of means of his comment, Putin said “we have to get rid of those people” who he claimed, without basis, “support” Nazism; secondly, while Carlson inquired whether or not Putin would “be glad with the territory which you have now” the Russian president refused to respond: we’ll take that as a no.
Hot topics avoided
Carlson averted any subjects that might have been susceptible for the Kremlin, for example, the reviews of Russian struggle fare crimes in locations like Bucha and Mariupol, the International Criminal Court arrest warrant for Putin, Alexei Navalny and different political prisoners, and Russia’s mobilisation and wartime loss of life toll. He even promptly cleared any questions on the (then) imminent Russian presidential election.
Why did he avoid it and just stick with the history lesson made by Putin? I guess we’ll never know.
Putin is open to a prisoner exchange involving journalist Evan Gershkovich
One open question ahead of the interview was whether or not Carlson would have asked about Evan Gershkovich, the American Wall Street Journal reporter who has been held in pre-trial detention in Russia for almost a year on what are considerably seen as fabricated espionage charges.
Carlson raised the possibility of a prisoner exchange concerning Gershkovich, whom he referred to as a “ kid ” and “obviously now no longer a spy. ”
Putin objected to that characterization of Gershkovich, reiterating the Kremlin’s claims he changed into caught ‘red-handed’ with classified information.
Putin then mentioned “a person serving a sentence in an allied america of the U.S.”
While he didn’t name him, Putin clearly referred to Vadim Krasikov, an FSB agent serving a life sentence in Germany for assassinating former Chechen insurgent and Georgian national Zelimkhan Khangoshvili in Berlin 2019.
It’s a signal that the Kremlin is trying to find Krasikov’s release from Germany, in exchange for liberating Gershkovich.
Conclusion
Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin provided a platform for the Russian President to articulate his views on various geopolitical issues, offering valuable insights into the complexities of US-Russia relations and the broader global landscape. However, it also raised important questions about Russia's actions and intentions, highlighting the need for continued dialogue and engagement to address key challenges and promote peace and stability on the world stage. Many questions were left unanswered, yet, this interview gave us the opportunity to understand a bit more the point of views coming from the other side, even though the future is still uncertain, as well as Putin and Russia’s intentions.
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