[UPDATE] Putin Interview: Tucker Carlson Releases Video of Much-Anticipated Meeting With Russian President

Right-wing journalist and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson released a video of his much-anticipated interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In the footage, the Kremlin leader spent the first 30 minutes of the two-hour meeting giving a revisionist historical tirade of the founding myths of Russia and Ukraine, the breakup of the Soviet Union, and NATO expansionism.

Tucker Carlson Interviews Vladimir Putin

(Photo : Ian Maule/Getty Images)
Right-wing journalist and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson released the video of his interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

After that, Putin admonished Carlson when he interrupted him from speaking and pontificated on everything from the war in Ukraine and relations with the United States. He also talked about the case of imprisoned American reporter Evan Gershkovich and artificial intelligence technology.

By the end of the interview, it was clear that the Russian president had no plans to end his brutal war campaign on Ukraine. However, the journalist who was interviewing him seemed ready to surrender.

Putin then offered to keep talking and Carlson, who was visibly exhausted by the Russian president's long-winded conspiracy theories, expressed his gratitude and ended the meeting. It was far short of the media coup that he had been touting to the world, as per the Washington Post.

Analysts said that Putin's decision to talk with Carlson was partly based on his perceived sympathy. The former Fox News host has repeatedly dismissed criticism of the Kremlin leader in the last few years. It was also due in part to the opportunity to appeal to the more MAGA reaches of the Republican Party during an election year in the U.S.

Such a development could boost former U.S. President Donald Trump's chances of getting re-elected and convincing GOP lawmakers to block U.S. military aid to Ukraine. This would make it much easier for Putin's war efforts to succeed amid the conflict.

While Putin spent the majority of the interview speaking about his side, Carlson spent it in silence or looking confused. The journalist did not ask a single question about Russia's attacks on civilian areas or critical infrastructure in Ukraine, which have resulted in the deaths of thousands of people.

Takeaways From the Meeting

Through the interview, Putin has made himself into something of a like-minded ally of certain right-wing forces in the U.S. This includes Trump, who praised the Russian strongman's aggression as "genius" shortly before Moscow's troops stormed across the border into Ukraine in February 2022, according to the New York Times.

Furthermore, Putin seems to be prevailing in the American capital in a way that would have been previously unthinkable. This is due to the help of a party that still pays homage to former president Ronald Reagan.

During the interview, Putin also accused the U.S. and other Western countries of prolonging the war in Ukraine. He noted that there were peace talks that were "almost finalized" but argued that Kyiv "threw away all these agreements." He said that the European country obeyed the instructions of Western nations.

The Russian president also laid the blame at the feet of former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was forced out of the UK parliament in June 2023. Putin claimed that during Johnson's time, he had dissuaded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelesnky from signing a peace deal in the early stages of the war, said The Guardian.