Tucker Carlson says he will interview Putin about Ukraine

US media personality and right-wing political commentator Tucker Carlson announced Tuesday that he is "soon" to interview Russian President Vladimir Putin amid Moscow's continued ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking from Moscow, Carlson, the former host of US network Fox News, said he would be speaking to Putin about his so-called special military operation in Ukraine because "two years into a war that is reshaping the entire world, most Americans are not informed." 

Carlson, who is known for incendiary rhetoric and spreading conspiracy theories, said it was part of his "duty to inform people" who he believes are being deceived by "corrupt" media outlets in the English-speaking world who "lie to their readers and viewers … mostly by omission."

Carlson, who was fired from his position as an anchor at Fox News last year amid lawsuits over unfounded claims of election fraud, claims that while western journalists frequently conduct interviews — which he calls "fawning pep sessions" — with senior Ukrainian figures including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, "not a single western journalist has bothered to interview the president of the other country in this conflict, Vladimir Putin."

BBC rebuffed in efforts to speak to Putin

In response, the BBC's Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg, who has regularly put questions to Putin at carefully staged press conferences in Moscow, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "We've lodged several [interview] requests with the Kremlin in the last 18 months. Always a 'no' for us."

Former BBC journalist John Sweeney added: "Shortly after I doorstepped Putin [regarding the shooting down of flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014], a Kremlin goon punched me in the stomach." 

Carlson also refrained from referencing any of the Russian journalists who have been jailed or forced into exile for criticizing the Kremlin.

Kremlin declines to comment

Carlson did not specify when or where the interview would take place but said it would be broadcast on his own website as well as X — for which he said he was grateful to Elon Musk.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined early on Tuesday morning to comment on whether there was a forthcoming interview or if Carlson had visited the Russian presidential administration.

Carlson said he had also requested an interview with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy.

mf/jsi (AFP, Reuters)