China News Service, February 9 (Xinhua) Comprehensive report: On the 9th, Beijing time, Carlson, a former anchor of the American Fox News Network and an independent media person, released a 2 hours and 7 minutes of interview video. The interviewee was Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Before going online, the interview had attracted worldwide attention. Some media said that this interview may be the first official visit to Putin by an American media person after the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis in 2022. Related announcements have received hundreds of millions of views from netizens on social media.
On the other hand, some European and American politicians believed that this move was a "betrayal" and that the host Carlson had become a "vassal of the Kremlin" and called for sanctions.
In this "American media person-Russian leader" dialogue, which has been rare in recent years, what did Putin say? What is the reaction from the outside world?
Image source: Carlson social media screenshot
Russia and Ukraine "will reach consensus sooner or later"
For quite some time, hot issues involving Russia have always been inseparable from the Ukraine crisis. This has naturally become one of the most anticipated topics in the interview.
Putin said that Russia has not yet achieved the goals of its special military operation against Ukraine.
He also said that Russia did not refuse to negotiate with Kiev. He emphasized that Ukraine gave up negotiations with Russia based on instructions from Washington, and now the United States should correct this mistake.
Putin believes that Russia and Ukraine "will reach a consensus sooner or later" and that even if it takes a long time, relations between the two peoples will eventually be restored.
Talking about the "Nord Stream" natural gas pipeline explosion, Putin hinted that the destruction of "Nord Stream" could not be ruled out as the work of the US intelligence agency. He also said that he was surprised by Germany's silence on the topic, believing that Germany's leadership is guided by the collective interests of the West rather than its own interests.
Data map: A leak occurred in the Beixi natural gas pipeline.
The United States "made a huge historic mistake"
After the Ukraine crisis broke out, the game between Russia and the United States intensified, which became the focus of this interview.
When asked "why relations between Russia and the West have not improved", Putin said that Russia was "deceived" by the West. The United States had promised that NATO would not expand eastward, but NATO has carried out five rounds of expansion.
He said that after taking office as president in 2000, he tried to restore relations with the West. When meeting with former US President Clinton, he even raised the possibility of Russia joining NATO, but was subsequently rejected.
Data map: NATO logo.
Putin revealed that he has not spoken with Biden since February 2022, but there has been some contact between Russia and the United States. In a previous conversation with Biden, Putin told him that the United States was "committing a huge historic mistake" by supporting Ukraine and rejecting Russia.
He also said that Russia conveyed a message to the US leadership through various contacts: "If you really want to stop the fighting, you should stop the supply of weapons (to Ukraine) - everything will be over within a few weeks, that's all, Then negotiations on certain conditions can begin.”
In addition, Putin also emphasized to the host that "Wall Street Journal" reporter Gershkovic was detained for "working for the interests of the US intelligence services." On the question of whether Russia would release the man, Putin said "certain conditions" must be met in Washington and that intelligence services were discussing those issues.
What do the Western media think?
According to statistics from the TASS news agency, Putin answered approximately 60 questions during the more than two hours of interview. The video received over 10 million views in less than an hour after it was posted.
Putin answered questions during the interview. Image source: Screenshot of Carlson’s interview with Putin
"We believe this (interview) should be viewed as a sincere expression of his (Putin's) views," Carlson said at the beginning of the interview.
The Kremlin has previously said Putin agreed to be interviewed by Carlson because the latter differed from the one-sided coverage of the Ukraine crisis by many Western news media.
However, this interview, which was widely watched on social media, made Western media uncomfortable. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) believes that Carlson's interview provides Putin with an opportunity to reach a wider American audience.
The Washington Post believes that Putin chose to accept an interview with Carlson partly because “the former Fox host has repeatedly refuted criticism of Putin” and at the same time, to attract more “MAGA” (meaning “Make America Again”). "Great", Trump's campaign slogan) audience may increase Trump's chances of winning the 2024 election and persuade Republicans to continue blocking U.S. military aid to Ukraine.
Regarding Carlson's interview with Putin, the Russian "Tsargrad" news network previously quoted analysts as saying that Carlson's trip dropped a "bomb" in the entire "Russian-phobic" Western media, but "more people want to know more about it through this interview." the truth".