Kremlin says Putin agreed to interview with Tucker Carlson because he differs from ‘traditional Anglo-Saxon media’
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Wednesday that Vladimir Putin gave an interview to American political commentator Tucker Carlson, according to Russian state media.
Asked by journalists why Putin decided to speak to Carlson, Peskov said:
He has a position that differs from the rest [of Western media]. It’s not pro-Russian by any means, and it’s not pro-Ukrainian; rather, it’s pro-American. But at least it stands in clear contrast to the position of the traditional Anglo-Saxon media.
Peskov was also asked to comment on Carlson’s claim that “not a single Western journalist has bothered” to interview Putin since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The press secretary said that, on the contrary, the Kremlin has received numerous interview requests, but that they were all from Western media outlets “that take a one-sided stance”:
Mr. Carlson is not correct. In fact, there’s no way he could know this. We receive numerous requests for interviews with the president, but mostly, as far as countries in the collective West are concerned, these are from major network media: traditional TV channels and large newspapers that don’t even attempt to appear impartial in their coverage. Of course there’s no desire to communicate with this kind of media.
On Tuesday, Carlson announced on Twitter that he’s in Moscow to interview the Russian president. According to The Wall Street Journal, Carlson’s interview with Putin may be released on February 8.
This is a developing story.