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Tucker Carlson and Vladimir Putin during an interview in the Kremlin

Photo: Gavriil Grigorov / AP

In an interview with right-wing US moderator Tucker Carlson, Russian President Vladimir Putin ruled out an invasion of his country into eastern NATO states such as Poland and Latvia - but with one exception. When asked whether he could imagine a scenario in which he would send Russian troops to Poland, Putin replied: "Only in one case: if Poland attacks Russia." Russia has no interest in Poland, Latvia or other countries, he said Putin. »Why should we do that? We're simply not interested." Putin continued. It goes against common sense to get involved in "some kind of global war." He accused the NATO states of intimidating their own people by making them believe there was an “imaginary Russian threat.”

The right-wing US moderator Tucker Carlson had already had the conversation with the Kremlin leader on Tuesday in Moscow. The 127-minute interview appeared on Carlson's website and the platform X, formerly Twitter, on Friday night in Germany. It is Putin's first in-depth conversation with a US interviewer since his war of aggression against Ukraine began almost two years ago. Carlson had previously announced the interview as a major media event and claimed that the Kremlin had not received any requests from Western media for interviews with Putin in the past two years - a statement that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied.

In a conversation with Carlson, Putin also commented on Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. He said there was "cries" about inflicting "a strategic defeat on the battlefield" on Russia. "In my opinion, this is impossible by definition," said the Kremlin chief. "It will never happen."

Carlson hardly asked any hard questions

Putin also complained that Ukraine came close to reaching an agreement to end hostilities at talks in Istanbul in April 2022 and then backed out. “Now they should think about how they can turn the situation around,” he said. »We are not against it. (…) This endless mobilization in Ukraine, the hysteria, the domestic political problems, sooner or later there will be an agreement," Putin added.

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Carlson, known for sharply right-wing positions and the spread of conspiracy theories, has in the past shown himself to be Russia-friendly and very critical of Kiev with regard to the Ukraine war. He has repeatedly criticized US aid to Ukraine. In his interview with Putin, he hardly asked any hard questions and listened for long stretches to the president's remarks and his justification for the attack on Ukraine.

In the interview, Putin also addressed US aid to Kiev - at a time when Trump's Republicans in Congress are blocking the release of billions more for the attacked country. "I will tell you what we say on this issue and what we convey to the US leadership," said the Russian president. "If you really want an end to the fighting, you have to stop supplying weapons."

Speculation about a possible prisoner exchange with the Tiergarten murderer

The Kremlin chief also said he was willing to talk about the case of US journalist Evan Gershkovich, who is in custody in Russia. "I do not rule out that Mr. Gershkovich will return to his home country," Putin said in an interview recorded at the beginning of the week and published on Friday night. "It makes no sense to keep him in prison in Russia." The US should think about how it could contribute to a solution, the Kremlin chief emphasized - and hinted at the possibility of a prisoner exchange. "We are ready to talk." There is already a constant dialogue between the responsible authorities in the USA and Russia. Further statements by Putin could be interpreted as meaning a release of the Tiergarten murderer Vadim Krasikov, who was convicted in December 2021 and sentenced to life imprisonment in Germany.

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The Wall Street Journal, for which Gershkovich researched before his arrest in Russia, responded with a statement: "We are encouraged to see Russia's desire for a deal that brings Evan home," it said. It is hoped that the reporter can quickly return to his family and to the editorial office. "Evan is a journalist and journalism is not a crime."

Gershkovich was arrested at the end of March 2023 on a reporting trip in Yekaterinburg in the Urals. The Russian prosecutor's office accuses him of espionage. The American with Russian roots and the newspaper vehemently reject the allegations. The US government also emphasized that Gershkovich was being held unjustly. In December, the White House said Moscow had rejected an offer from Washington to release the journalist. At the end of January, his pre-trial detention was extended for another two months, meaning he will remain behind bars until March 30, according to the Interfax news agency.

"Remember, you are listening to Vladimir Putin"

Commenting on Putin's comments, U.S. National Security Council communications director John Kirby said nothing said in the interview should be taken at face value. “Remember, you are listening to Vladimir Putin.”

The 54-year-old Carlson was fired from the ultra-conservative US broadcaster Fox News last year, without any reasons being given for the dismissal at the time. He had hosted a high-ratings evening show there for years. Carlson used this to spread conspiracy theories and false reports, to attack the Democratic Party and to agitate against minorities. Shortly afterwards he started his own show on X.

Carlson has now left Moscow again. The news website “Semafor” reported that he also met with Edward Snowden before his departure. The US whistleblower, who made public the extent of the United States' global surveillance and espionage practices in 2013, has been living in exile in Russia for around ten years. Further details about the alleged meeting were initially not known.

col/dpa/AFP/Reuters