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9 points to remember from Vladimir Putin's interview

2024-02-09 22:55:42Fokus SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
9 points to remember from Vladimir Putin's interview
Putin during the interview with Tucker Carlson

By Eva Hartog and Sergey Goryashko – Politico.eu

It was never going to be a hard hit.

Few expected anything new to come out of Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin, conducted in Moscow on Tuesday and published on the conservative pundit's website on Thursday.

Carlson lived up to those expectations with his interview, failing to draw any provocative insight into the Russian president's actual war intentions, or holding him accountable for his brutal invasion of Ukraine.

Putin, however, took full advantage of the opportunity to sow the seeds of doubt about America's aid to Ukraine and the US political system.

Here are the takeaways from Putin's interview with Carlson.

1- Putin is not finished with his war

The main message that Putin sought to convey to the Americans: There is no point in helping Ukraine with more money and weapons.

And Carlson, who has previously questioned US support for Ukraine as it seeks to defend its people and land in the face of Russian aggression, was more than happy to help deliver that message.

But that's not really the whole story, as Putin himself made clear in two key responses to Carlson's follow-up questions.

First, asked if Russia had achieved its war aims, Putin said: No.

"We have not yet achieved our goals, because one of them is denazification".

Second, when Carlson asked if Putin would "be happy with the territory you have now," the Russian autocrat refused to answer, returning to his point about denazification and insisting that he had not yet finished answering the previous question.

2- Putin tried to undermine Americans' faith in democracy

By granting Carlson an interview, Putin gained unfettered access to a large American audience ahead of the US presidential election later this year.

It was Putin, not Carlson, who first brought up Trump, saying he had a "personal relationship" with the former US president as well as George W. Bush.

Putin also went through the ways in which past US presidents have failed to reach consensus with Russia on security issues, even when he claimed they had wanted to: the US political system is, for to borrow a phrase, an unmitigated quagmire and American democracy an illusion.

3- Kremlin propagandists achieve a victory

Anyone who can crack Putin's armor is light-years away from the president — be it the wives of Russian soldiers, independent journalists or the anti-war election challenger Boris Nadezhdin.

Those who do get to talk to Putin are always chosen by Moscow, and Carlson was no exception (as the Kremlin spokesman confirmed this week).

Carlson, who failed to fact-check or deflect the Russian president's fantastic history lesson, instead warned viewers in an opening statement when he answered the question of why Russia invaded Ukraine.

But Carlson immediately softened even that blow, declaring that in the end, he believed Putin was "sincere" and praising the president's "encyclopedic knowledge."

Meanwhile, Carlson avoided any topic that might have been sensitive to the Kremlin: reports of Russian war crimes in places like Bucha and Mariupol, the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Putin, Alexei Navalny and other political prisoners, and the mobilization of Russia and the death toll during the war.

4- Putin continues his seduction offensive against Elon Musk

Tesla and X boss Elon Musk has had divided loyalties when it comes to Russia's war on Ukraine, initially aiding Kiev before appearing to succumb to Kremlin propaganda and talking points.

In his Carlson interview, Putin took the opportunity to stroke the billionaire's ego.

"There are reports that Elon Musk has already inserted the chip into the human brain in the US," Putin told Carlson.

Asked what he thought about it, the president said: "I think Elon Musk is unstoppable."

"He will do as he sees fit. However, you will have to find a common language with him. Look for ways to convince him. I think he is a smart person. I really believe he is."

5- Putin is open to a prisoner exchange involving journalist Evan Gershkovich

An open question before the interview was whether Carlson would ask about Evan Gershkovich, the American Wall Street Journal reporter who has been held in Russian custody for nearly a year on what are widely seen as trumped-up espionage charges.

Carlson raised the possibility of a prisoner swap involving Gershkovich, whom he called a "kid" and "definitely not a spy."

Putin disputed that characterization of Gershkovich, repeating Kremlin claims that he was caught "red handed" with confidential information.

But the president said that the Russian and American special services "were in contact with each other" about the case and there was "no taboo to resolve this issue".

Putin then mentioned "a person who is serving a sentence in a country allied to the US".

While he did not name him, Putin was clearly referring to Vadim Krasikov, an FSB agent serving a life sentence in Germany for killing former Chechen insurgent and Georgian national Zelimkhan Khangoshvili in broad daylight in Berlin in 2019.

It is a signal that the Kremlin is demanding the release of Krasikov from Germany, in exchange for the release of Gershkovich.

6- US-Russia communication channels remain open

Putin claimed he could not remember the last time he spoke to President Biden.

"Do I have to remember everything?" Putin thought.

"I have my own things to do. We have internal political issues".

Asked why he has not spoken to his American counterpart, Putin said: Why would I call him? What should I talk to him about?

But he added that "certain contacts are being maintained" when it comes to lines of communication between Washington and Moscow.

7- Tucker has a lot of time for Putin

At just over two hours, the interview taped in the Kremlin on Tuesday was the second longest interview Carlson has ever released.

However, Putin missed the 147 minutes allotted to self-described misogynist and human trafficker Andrew Tate.

Better luck next time.

8- Putin blames the USA for the Nord Stream explosions

"Who blew up the Nord Stream?" Carlson asked Putin, referring to the mysterious explosions in September 2022 that destroyed Russian-German underwater gas pipelines.

"You, of course," answered Putin.

“I was busy that day!” replied a shocked Carlson, who suddenly found himself in the role of a suspect in a KGB interrogation.

Putin seemed to like it, told him that while he personally might have an alibi, the CIA did not.

Asked if he had any evidence for the claim, Putin said it was a question of who had the motive and the resources.

9- The moment that leaves you speechless

That's when Putin ordered an aide to hand over copies of 17th-century letters written by Bohdan Khmelnytsky.

This is to prove to Carlson that he is not "making things up", telling the former Fox News host that he could translate the documents into English "later".

Carlson looks horrified.


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