Vladimir Putin has said he “was not prepared” for how soft Tucker Carlson would be when the Russian president was interviewed by the American journalist last week.
In the groundbreaking interview, Carlson let Putin speak at length about pet topics like Russian and European history – which the ex-KGB man says he didn’t expect.
Speaking to Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin from state-run TV channel Russia-1, Putin said he thought Carlson was “a dangerous man… and would be quite aggressive and ask so-called tough questions”.
Putin said he was “not prepared” for how the interview turned out, but wanted a harder line of questioning “because it would give me the opportunity to respond with equally sharp answers”.
Putin said he thought Tucker Carlson would ask "so-called tough" questions
Reuters
The president continued: “He chose a different tactic. He tried to interrupt me several times, but still, surprisingly for a Western journalist, he remained patient and listened to my lengthy monologues, especially when I spoke about history.
“He gave me no cause for doing what I was prepared to do. That is why, to tell the truth, I did not fully enjoy that interview. But he acted strictly according to his plan, and he did what he intended.
“As for how informative it turned out to be in the end, that is not for me to judge. It is for the viewers, listeners and possibly readers of this material to judge.”
Putin admitted he wished more topics had been raised in the interview, but praised Carlson for sticking to his plan.
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Zarubin asked Putin whether he thought Tucker Carlson might be arrested
Reuters
Zarubin pointed to calls to impose sanctions on Carlson, and asked the Russian president whether he thought the journalist might even be arrested.
Putin’s reply was to draw parallels between Carlson and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who faced conspiracy charges by US authorities and is currently in prison in the UK.
He said: “Assange was at least accused of revealing state secrets. Carlson cannot be charged with that because he did not touch upon any secrets.
“Nevertheless, anything is possible, theoretically, in modern-day America, in the United States today.”Putin said he “felt sorry” for Carlson following his sanction and arrest calls, but said it was “his choice” and the former Fox presenter “knew what he was doing”.
But he said any legal consequences “could be a good opportunity for people around the world to see the true nature of modern ‘liberal democratic’ dictatorship, which is supposedly represented in the current ruling class in the United States. This would reveal its true face”.
The Russian president said his conversation with Carlson continued after the interview, and the pair talked about US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russia’s reputation in the West.
Putin accused Blinken of “demonising Russia” and making references to historical details – like whether Kyiv was in Russia or Ukraine in the early 20th century – which could “undermine his cause”.