During his recent trip to Moscow, Tucker Carlson, the former host of Fox News, reportedly conducted an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as per online reports.
Russian media sources spotted Carlson in the Russian capital at the Bolshoi Theater.
Izvestia, known for its pro-Kremlin stance, released a video where one of its journalists questioned Carlson about his purpose in Russia and the possibility of interviewing Putin. Carlson cryptically responded, “We’ll see.” According to the Mash Telegram channel, Carlson traveled to Moscow via Istanbul on February 1st.
Alexei Venediktov, the former chief editor of Echo of Moscow, a radio station critical of the Kremlin before its closure during a crackdown on media freedom, revealed on social media that an interview between Carlson and Putin had indeed occurred.
Venediktov’s post, shared by Max Seddon, Moscow bureau chief of The Financial Times, relayed Venediktov’s assertion that Carlson’s objectives were fulfilled during his time in Russia.
The Guardian correspondent Pjotr Sauer also echoed Venediktov’s claim, affirming Carlson’s interview with Putin.
Carlson served as the host of Tucker Carlson Tonight from 2016 to 2023 until his abrupt dismissal by the network in April 2023, without an official explanation provided. Throughout his tenure, Carlson faced criticism for echoing Kremlin narratives regarding the conflict in Ukraine, expressing views perceived as sympathetic to Putin and critical of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a stance that garnered him praise from Russian propagandists.
In August 2023, Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of the Kremlin-backed RT, stated on the Russia-1 channel that Carlson had expressed interest in interviewing Putin, commending his work. Although Carlson neither confirmed nor denied Simonyan’s statements, he later hinted at encountering obstacles from the U.S. government in pursuing the interview, albeit without elaborating on the specifics. Simonyan, addressing rumors surrounding Carlson’s visit to Moscow, expressed optimism about the possibility of the interview materializing, emphasizing, “God willing it’s true and everything works out.”
This is terrible. This proves that Trump is colluding with the Russians. Trump should resign immediately!